Karmravor
Encyclopedia
Karmravor or Surb Astvatsatsin is a 7th century Armenian church built by priests Gregory and Manas. The church is located on the northeast side of the town of Ashtarak
in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia
.
-orange dress and the other wearing a red dress, they threw themselves into the gorge. When the youngest sister found out, she put on a white dress and also threw herself into the gorge. Sargis then became a hermit
and three small churches appeared at the edge of the gorge, named after the sisters' dress colors.
style single red tile dome roof. It is a small church measuring only 19 feet 7 inches by 24 feet 6 inches. The apse is horseshoe shaped in the interior, and is rectangular on the exterior. It has an octagonal drum, and is simply decorated with geometric and foliage patterns around the eaves and cornices. Most of the original tiles on the roof which were laid in mortar have remained intact, and the church has had only some minor restoration during the 1950s.
According to Thierry, Surb Astvatsatsin marks a turning point in Armenian architecture, with its simple building in the shape of a cross with a single dome setting a style that would be repeated over the years in spite of other influences.Thierry, p.10
Other churches of a similar style attributed to the 6th or 7th century are Saint Marine of Artik, Lmbatavank, S. Astvatsatsin of Talin, and S. Astvatsatsin of Voskepar.
Ashtarak
Ashtarak is an industrial city in Armenia, on the left bank of Kasagh River along the gorge, approximately 20 km north-west of the capital Yerevan, at a height of 1110 meters above sea level. It is the administrative capital of Aragatsotn province...
in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
.
Legend
According to a legend, three sisters lived in Ashtarak, all of whom fell in love with the same man, prince Sargis. The elder two sisters decided to commit suicide in favor of the youngest one. One wearing an apricotApricot
The apricot, Prunus armeniaca, is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation.- Description :...
-orange dress and the other wearing a red dress, they threw themselves into the gorge. When the youngest sister found out, she put on a white dress and also threw herself into the gorge. Sargis then became a hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
and three small churches appeared at the edge of the gorge, named after the sisters' dress colors.
Architecture
Surb Astvatsatsin is a simple building with a small cruciform central-plan and a ByzantineByzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
style single red tile dome roof. It is a small church measuring only 19 feet 7 inches by 24 feet 6 inches. The apse is horseshoe shaped in the interior, and is rectangular on the exterior. It has an octagonal drum, and is simply decorated with geometric and foliage patterns around the eaves and cornices. Most of the original tiles on the roof which were laid in mortar have remained intact, and the church has had only some minor restoration during the 1950s.
According to Thierry, Surb Astvatsatsin marks a turning point in Armenian architecture, with its simple building in the shape of a cross with a single dome setting a style that would be repeated over the years in spite of other influences.Thierry, p.10
Other churches of a similar style attributed to the 6th or 7th century are Saint Marine of Artik, Lmbatavank, S. Astvatsatsin of Talin, and S. Astvatsatsin of Voskepar.