A dance ensemble by the Church of Saint Gayane

A dance ensemble performs in front of the Church of Saint Gayane in Etchmiadzin.

Saint Gayane is a 7th-century church in Vagharshapat, the religious centre of Armenia. It was built in 630 on the order of Catholicos Ezr I, on the spot where, according to tradition, the abbess Gayane was martyred and buried. In 2000 the church was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is considered one of the finest examples of early Armenian church architecture.

In the foreground young men and women dance hand in hand: the men in blue shirts, red sashes and black trousers, the women in yellow dresses with long braids. The leading dancer waves a red handkerchief. By the church wall stand the other members of the ensemble, some with musical instruments.