It was built in 1738-1741 during the reign of Catholicos Lazar of Jahuk. In 1968, on the initiative of Catholicos Vazgen I, when the Catholicos residence was moved to the building of the Cathedral, and the old Cathedral was transformed into a museum of Catholicos (design: A. Galikyan). During the reconstruction, the foundations of the building were strengthened, exterior cladding works were performed, due to the process of the museum's transformation, the basement and the second floor of the throne hall called "Floral" were decorated.
Due to the area zoning works initiated by Patriarch Karekin II, there was a demand to improve the museum of Catholicoses and its adjacent building. The architects of the reconstruction are A. Nazaretyan and A. Sahakyan. The roof and stairwell of the annex built in the 1970s in the southern part of the Old Residence were demolished, the galvanized sheet of the roof and the wooden structures were removed. The southern part was rebuilt as a Catholicos apartment. Existing warehouses and utility rooms have been redesigned as showrooms and service rooms. It is important to note that during the reconstruction works of the Old Residence, a brick workshop and a kiln appeared in the basement floor, which were completely preserved and museumized during the reconstruction. The surroundings of the building were improved as a continuation of the Guest House courtyard. The structure has two historical entrances.
a. Syunhodos door. It was built during the reign of Catholicos Lazar I of Jahuk. It is the main entrance of the Old Residence leading to the Catholicos division. It was renovated during the reign of Patriarch Karekin II in 2013.