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02 · Medieval

Armenian

c. 300–1400

Compact stone churches with a drum and conical dome, carved relief walls and upright cross-stones called khachkars.

Look for

Dome Carved stone relief Round arch
Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Vagharshapat, Armenia: an example of Armenian architecture
Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Vagharshapat, Armenia. Photo: Well-read MountainMan, CC BY-SA 4.0
Geghard, Goght, Armenia
Geghard Goght, Armenia · Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
Noravank, Amaghu Valley, Armenia
Noravank Amaghu Valley, Armenia · Vahagn Grigoryan, CC BY-SA 4.0
Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Akdamar Island, Turkey
Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross Akdamar Island, Turkey · Francesco Bini, CC BY-SA 4.0
Haghpat Monastery, Haghpat, Armenia
Haghpat Monastery Haghpat, Armenia · Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0

what it is

Armenian churches are built of cut volcanic stone such as tuff and basalt. Most have a centralized plan, often a cross-shaped interior or four projecting apses, with a dome on a cylindrical or polygonal drum (a circular or many-sided wall) covered by a conical stone roof. Heights often exceed lengths. Exterior walls carry carved decoration, including relief figures and geometric patterns, and khachkars, memorial stone slabs carved with a cross, rosettes and interlace.

Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Vagharshapat has a cruciform plan, four projecting apses and a conical central roof, and its present core dates from 483/4. The Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Akdamar Island in Lake Van (915-921) is covered in biblical reliefs. Haghpat Monastery in Lori (completed 991), Geghard (main church 1215) and Noravank (Surb Astvatsatsin church, 1339) are later examples. Byzantine churches are usually brick with mosaics inside, while Armenian churches are stone with sculpture on the outside, and their domes stand on drums under conical roofs.

how to spot one

Dome A rounded roof shaped as half a sphere, often raised on a drum (a circular wall). Domes cover large central spaces on Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, Renaissance and Neoclassical buildings. Carved stone relief Figures or patterns carved into stone so they project from a flat background, called low relief when shallow and high relief when deep. It appears on ancient temples and Gothic churches. Round arch An arch shaped as a half circle, often built from wedge-shaped blocks called voussoirs. It is used over doors, windows and between columns in Roman, Romanesque, Renaissance and Richardsonian Romanesque buildings.

Also look for

Deep-set windowArcadeMural painting

history

Armenia adopted Christianity as its state religion in 301, and the first churches were built on the orders of Gregory the Illuminator, sometimes on the sites of earlier pagan temples. Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Vagharshapat is traditionally dated to 301-303, and its present core to 483/4. By the 5th century the conical roof over a central dome was in wide use. In the 7th century Saint Hripsime Church was built (about 618) under Catholicos Komitas, and Zvartnots Cathedral was begun in 643 and consecrated in 652. Zvartnots collapsed in the 10th century and was excavated in 1901-1907.

Building continued under the Bagratid kings. The Holy Cross Cathedral on Akdamar Island was built in 915-921, and Haghpat Monastery was completed in 991. The oldest dated khachkar, from 879, was erected in Garni. The 12th to 14th centuries brought many new monasteries, including Geghard (main church 1215) and Noravank, where Momik completed the Surb Astvatsatsin church in 1339. Khachkar carving peaked in the same period. Seljuk invasions and Timur's invasion then halted architectural development for about 250 years. In 2010 UNESCO inscribed khachkars, their symbolism and craftsmanship on its list of intangible cultural heritage.

where to find it

Armenia, especially Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Saint Hripsime Church), the monasteries of Geghard, Noravank and Haghpat, and Akdamar Island in Lake Van, Turkey.

easy to confuse with

Hagia Sophia, an example of Byzantine Byzantine A central dome floating over a square room, round arches, plain brick outside, gold mosaics inside. Speyer Cathedral, an example of Romanesque Romanesque Fortress-thick walls, small deep-set windows, and round arches over doors and arcades. Saint Basil's Cathedral, an example of Russian Orthodox Russian Orthodox Onion domes in gold and candy colors clustered over white walls and steep tent-roofed towers. Jameh Mosque of Isfahan, an example of Seljuk Seljuk Tall carved stone portals with stacked-niche muqarnas, brick minarets with turquoise tile, domed tombs and fortress-walled caravanserais.