According to professor Dickran Kouymjian (Ph.D. in Armenian Studies from Columbia University),[1] the unique national style of Armenian church architecture came into being by the late 6th or early 7th century, probably becoming the first national style in Christian architecture, long before the Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic or the less known Ethiopian, Scandinavian and Slavic styles were concretely formed.

[2] Christianity's institution as Armenia's official religion in 300 allowed new developments in Armenian architecture.

The first Armenian churches were built on the orders of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, and were often built on top of pagan temples, imitating some aspects of Armenian pre-Christian architecture.

Armenian churches particularly have several distinctive features with common characteristics: Within the bounds of the aforementioned common characteristics, individual churches display considerable variation which may reflect time, place, and the creativity of its designer.

Toros Toramanian distinguished the following classical styles while studying these variations in the early 20th century:[3]