Yeghvard (arm. Եղվարդ) is a city in Armenia in the Kotayk region. Located at the foot of Mount Ara on a vast terrace among orchards, vineyards and fields; 14 km northeast of Ashtarak and 19 km from Yerevan.

History
It was first mentioned in 574 in connection with the election of Catholicos Movses II of Yeghvard (574-604), then in 603 in connection with the liberation struggle of the Armenians against the Sasanian domination. Three major battles took place near Yeghvard. Of these, the first is connected with the legendary battle between the Armenian king Ara the Beautiful and Semiramis. The second occurred in 603 between King Pokas and the Persians, and the third in 1735 between Nadir Shah and the Ottomans. Administratively, Yeghvard was part of the Aragatsotn gavar of the Ayrarat region of Greater Armenia, later – in the Etchmiadzin gavar. According to written sources, at the beginning of the 14th century, Yeghvard was in a ruined state, it was restored by Ishkhan Azizbek and his wife Vahakh, including the construction of the Astvatsatsin church and the restoration of the canal. In Soviet times, Yeghvard was the center of the Nairi region of the Armenian SSR.

Architecture
Yeghvard is known for its historical monuments. Of these, the basilica of the 5th century is the most significant. The lower part of its walls has survived to this day. Built from carved tufa. There are inscriptions from 660 on the walls.
3 km from the city is a dilapidated two-tiered Zoravar church of the middle of the 7th century. According to historians, it was built by the Armenian prince Grigor Mamikonyan. Only the northern part of the building has been preserved. The lower tier has 8 large triangular protrusions – apses, the upper tier is multifaceted on the outside, cylindrical on the inside. The decoration of the church, various geometric motifs and motifs with animals, beautifully crafted cornices give the small building a monumental look.
In the center of Yeghvard there is a two-storey church-tomb Astvatsatsin, built in 1301. On the first floor, square in plan, there is a tomb. The second floor is almost cruciform in plan; there is a memorial church here. Stone cantilever steps were made only at the entrance to the second floor – a wooden staircase was attached to them. The dome of the church is cone-shaped, supported by 12 columns. The walls of the church stand out for their exceptional richness of decorative finishes. Astvatsatsin Church is one of well-preserved churches of the Middle Ages in Armenia.
The houses in the city are multi-storey, stone, urban type, most of them made of black tuff.

Population
The population of Yeghvard in 1831 was 279 people, in 1897 – 2144, in 1926 – 2865, in 1939 – 3021, in 1959 – 3940, in 1970 – 5398, in 1974 – 6050. According to the data for 2006, the population of the city was 10,656 people.
Catholicoses Movses II (574-604) and Mashtots I (897-898) were born here, who founded the Sevan Monastery and is the prototype of the protagonist of Levon Shant’s drama The Old Gods.