Artavazik Church
Encyclopedia
Artavazik Church of the 7th century is located in a stone field one kilometer northeast just a little outside the village of Byurakan
in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia
. The name of the church goes back to the Armenian king at the time, presumed to be the founder.
monocoque
type structure with a long west arm and semicircular eastern apse
that is narrower by far than the other three arms. In the northeast corner adjacent to the apse is a "study" or prayer room. Large portions of walls and a section of the gable roof at the western end are preserved, as well as a large section of the lower-drum
of a belfry
that rests above the front entry. The belfry had been added in the 13th century but has recently collapsed. Four tall and thin column
s stood on the rim of a lower drum and once supported a slightly narrower upper drum with a small conical dome
above. A small portion of their footings may still be seen attached to the base drum. These lower and upper drums were both decorated with interwoven geometric knot designs that encircled the structural elements. There was originally a large octagonal drum and dome that stood above the center of the church before the collapse of its main roof. Close to the church to the southwest are the remains of the badly damaged main dome. Behind the church and across a small ravine
is a huge khachkar
monument from the 13th century with a shed roof at the rear.
Byurakan
Byurakan is a town in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia on the slope of Mount Aragats. The town contains the basilica of Saint Hovhannes of the 10th c. and Artavazik Church of the 7th c. with a huge 13th c. khachkar monument directly across the ravine. It is also the site of the Byurakan...
in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. The name of the church goes back to the Armenian king at the time, presumed to be the founder.
Architecture
The church is a small cruciformCruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
monocoque
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
type structure with a long west arm and semicircular eastern apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
that is narrower by far than the other three arms. In the northeast corner adjacent to the apse is a "study" or prayer room. Large portions of walls and a section of the gable roof at the western end are preserved, as well as a large section of the lower-drum
Tholobate
A tholobate or drum, in architecture, is the upright part of a building on which a dome is raised. It is generally in the shape of a cylinder or a polygonal prism....
of a belfry
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
that rests above the front entry. The belfry had been added in the 13th century but has recently collapsed. Four tall and thin column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s stood on the rim of a lower drum and once supported a slightly narrower upper drum with a small conical dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
above. A small portion of their footings may still be seen attached to the base drum. These lower and upper drums were both decorated with interwoven geometric knot designs that encircled the structural elements. There was originally a large octagonal drum and dome that stood above the center of the church before the collapse of its main roof. Close to the church to the southwest are the remains of the badly damaged main dome. Behind the church and across a small ravine
Ravine
A ravine is a landform narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streamcutting erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. A ravine is generally a fluvial slope landform of relatively steep sides, on the order of twenty to...
is a huge khachkar
Khachkar
A khachkar or khatchkar is a carved, cross-bearing, memorial stele covered with rosettes and other botanical motifs. Khachkars are characteristic of Medieval Christian Armenian art found in Armenia.-Description:...
monument from the 13th century with a shed roof at the rear.