title: Saint John the Baptist Church, Abovyan
text: # Saint John the Baptist Church, Abovyan
  
  40°16′33″N 44°37′53″E﻿ / ﻿40.27583°N 44.63139°E﻿ / 40.27583; 44.63139
  
  Saint John the Baptist Church (Armenian: Սուրբ Հովհաննես Մկրտիչ Եկեղեցի, Surp Hovhannes Mkrtich) is a monumental Armenian Apostolic church in the town of Abovyan, Kotayk Province, Armenia.
  
  ## Overview
  
  The construction was launched in August 2006 and funded by the Armenian businessman Gagik Tsarukyan. After a 7-year duration of construction works, the church was finally consecrated in May 2013 by Catholicos Karekin II, with the presence of then-president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and former president of Armenia Robert Kocharyan.
  
  The main architect of the church is Artak Ghulyan, and the constructional engineers are Hovhannes Meyroyan and Tigran Dadayan. The internal paintings are the works of Abraham Azaryan and Hayk Azaryan. However, the creative team of the church grouped around 40 painters and sculptors.
  
  ## Gallery
  
  * General view
  * The belfry and the domes at the main entrance
  * Internal view of the central dome
  * The church at Christmas Eve (5 January 2016)
  * General view
  