The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Armenian Cathedral of Paris is located at 15 rue Jean-Goujon, in the 8th arrondissement of the capital, near the Champs-Elysées.
The building was built from 1902 to 1904 on land that previously housed the Bazaar of Charity, burned in 1897. The costs of the work were borne by Alexander Mantachiants (or Mantashev), wealthy Armenian who made a fortune in the industry oil.
Until then, the Armenian community of Paris having fled from first persecutions had no specific place of worship.
It is the architect Albert Désiré Guilbert who designed the cathedral. It was inspired by the cathedral Etchmiadzin, a city 20 km away from Yerevan and seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church. A dome on a drum thus makes it possible to extend the nave with small dimensions. As for the interior decoration, it reflects the liturgy of the Eastern Christian Churches.
In 1915, new persecutions and genocide brought thousands of Armenians to exile and the cathedral of the Rue Jean-Goujon became their rallying point to try to hear from their families and start a new life.
Today, besides the cathedral, the site houses an inner courtyard, a building serving as the seat of the primacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church and a meeting room that can accommodate a hundred people.
Visit every day except Sunday. Limited number. Information on +33 1 43 59 67 03.
