delivered a Holy Mass at Gyumri's Vartanants Square. Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II also took part in the ceremony. Geography and climate Gyumri is north of the capital Yerevan at the central part of the Shirak plateau. It has an approximate height of above sea level, the high altitude line being . The Akhurian River passes through the western suburbs. The Shirak plateau is surrounded with the Pambak Mountains from the east and Aragats volcanic range from the south. The city of Gyumri is away from the Black Sea. The surrounding lands near the city are rich in tufa, basalt and clay. Gyumri has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), characterized by freezing and snowy winters where the minimum temperature in extreme spells can plummet to . On the other hand, summer in Gyumri is relatively hot with temperatures reaching up to . The annual precipitation averages . Demographics Population The population of Gyumri has gradually grown since 1840 after gaining the status of town. A huge decline of the population was due to the disastrous earthquake of 1988. The residents here have a distinct look and style, and a boundless pride in their city. The dialect of Gyumri is a variant of Karin dialect, closely related to Western Armenian. Religion The majority of the population in Gyumri belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church. The Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God of Gyumri -also known as the Cathedral of the Seven Wounds of the Holy Mother of God- is the seat of the Diocese of Shirak of the Armenian Church. The Armenian Catholic Church is a minority in Armenia and is under the jurisdiction of the Ordinariate of Armenia, Georgia, Russia, and Eastern Europe, based in Gyumri. There are around 16,000 Armenian Catholics in the Shirak Province. The seat of the Ordinariate for Armenia, Georgia, Russia, and Eastern Europe for the Armenian Catholic Church is the Cathedral of the Holy Martyrs in Gyumri. The presence of the small Russian Orthodox community along with the Russian military base personnel is marked with the Saint Alexandra the Martyr's Church (within the Russian base), the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel and the Church of Saint Arsenije. However, many historic churches in Gyumri were either ruined or destroyed, including: Dprevank Monastery and the Basilic Church of old Kumayri dating back to the 7th century: it was the first ever church built