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Excavations conducted inside the church in 1958–59 uncovered black tuff fragments of an ornamented Ionic^[29] cornice beneath the supporting columns. These fragments were immediately recognized as belonging to a pre-Christian Hellenistic structure—possibly a temple—with stylistic similarities to the cornice of the Garni Temple.^[32] Alexander Sahinian, who oversaw the excavations following the initial discovery, argued that a pagan temple^[c] must have existed at or near the location.^[14][31] Some scholars maintain that the fragments indicate the presence of a pagan temple on the site,^[18] while others propose that they came from a pagan building elsewhere in Vagharshapat and were later reused in the church’s foundations.^[36][37] The excavated sections were covered with protective glass for public display.^[30][37]

According to the traditional account recorded by Agathangelos, Hripsime, a Roman virgin, and her companions (including Gayane), fled to Armenia to escape persecution by the Roman emperor Diocletian. In Armenia, Hripsime was tortured and killed by king Tiridates III after she rejected his advances. Following Tiridates’s conversion to Christianity in the early fourth century (dated 301 or 314 AD), he and Gregory the Illuminator built a martyrium at the site of her martyrdom as an act of remorse.^[38] Agathangelos recounts that Tiridates brought enormous stones from Mount Ararat to construct the martyriums of Hripsime and companions.^[39][40] It is considered one of the earliest Christian martyriums.^[13] It is believed to have been partially buried underground, with an aboveground canopy.^[18][d] It was destroyed by Sasanian king Shapur II and his Armenian Zoroastrian ally Meruzhan Artsruni c. 363,^[46] along with Etchmiadzin Cathedral and other Christian sites.^[47]

In 395, Catholicos Sahak Partev built a new chapel-martyrium, which the later historian Sebeos described as “too low and dark”.^[50] Archaeological excavations in 1976–78, led by Raffi Torosyan and Babken Arakelyan,^[51] uncovered the foundations of a small single-nave basilica around 10 m (33 ft) east of the current church, which is likely the remains of this late fourth century structure.^[52][53][e] Notably, Christian-style burials were also unearthed, which both scholars and the Armenian Church identified as Hripsime and her companions.^[60] A letter from The Book of Letters, dated 608, mentions a priest named Samuel of St. Hripsime, indicating that the chapel was an active church at the time.^[61]

The seventh century historian Sebeos recounts that Catholicos Komitas (r. 615–628) demolished the small martyrium and constructed the present church in the 28th year of the reign of the Sassanian king Khosrow II (r. 590–628), which has been calculated as the year 618,^[47][48] a dating which has been near-unanimously accepted.^[69][f] Vagharshapat was under Byzantine rule at the time.^[73] Two inscriptions attest to Komitas’s role in its construction.^[74] A number of scholars maintain that Komitas, also a hymnographer, may have been the architect of the church.^[79] Murad Hasratyan suggests that his identification as “builder” in one of the inscriptions indicates that Komitas himself was the architect.^[80][81] One of the most important monuments of medieval Armenia,^[82] it represented a “major construction of real artistic significance”.^[73]

The church contains two engraved inscriptions in the erkat‘agir uncial script^[83] recording Catholicos Komitas’s role in its construction.^[84][g] These inscriptions, undated but conventionally attributed to 618^[87][h] and 628 respectively,^[75][88] are the second oldest surviving Armenian inscriptions after the Tekor Church inscription (c. 478–490).^[i]

The first inscription (202 × 60 cm) is located on the western wall’s exterior,^[94] now largely concealed by the belfry.^[95][66][j] Recording Komitas’s personal responsibility for the construction,^[74] it reads: “I Komitas sacristan of saint Hṙi{w}p‘simē was summoned to the throne of saint Grēgor. I built the temple of these holy martyrs of Christ.”^[k][97]

The second inscription (150 × 35 cm)^[93][98] appears on the eastern apse’s interior behind the altar.^[100][l] It was revealed under plaster during restoration works in 1898, when it was lightly damaged.^[75][93] Imploring Christ to recognize Komitas’s labors,^[74] it reads: “Christ God, remember Komitas kat‘ołikos of Armenia, the builder of saint Hṙip‘simē”.^[m][101]

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