Saint John the Baptist Church, Yerevan
Encyclopedia
St. John the Baptist Church is an active church in the old area of Kond, Yerevan
, Armenia
. First, it was built on the height of Kond district, in 1710, in the place of a medieval church ruined as the result of a destructive earthquake. It was built by a rich man, Melik Aghamal, living in Yerevan. Like the other medieval churches, this is a three-nave basilic church. The rectangular plan of the church includes the prayer-hall and the main altar on the eastern side, attached to which are the sacristies.
presented to Catholicos of All Armenians Vazgen I
a project of basic reconstruction of the church. The plan was improved, but unfortunately, the architect died the same year. After 10 years author’s son, architect Areg Israyelian turned his father’s initiative into a technical project, which was allowed to realize. The work project was prepared by the honored architect Baghdasar Arzoumanian
and designing engineer Avetik Tekevejian. In 1980s the Church was entirely reconstructed and restored under the direct leadership of the civil engineer Mikayel Hovhannissian. The dome and the walls of the church were faced with tuf stone. Large-scale works were realized inside the church. In the western side an additional storey was built for the choir, the floor was paved with marble, the wall of the main altar was ornamented, the interior was renovated. Also the bell-tower of the church was built. In 2000 the educational-cultural center “Hovhannes Kozern” was built nearby the church where foreign language and computer courses are organized, the school of Icon art functions.
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
, Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. First, it was built on the height of Kond district, in 1710, in the place of a medieval church ruined as the result of a destructive earthquake. It was built by a rich man, Melik Aghamal, living in Yerevan. Like the other medieval churches, this is a three-nave basilic church. The rectangular plan of the church includes the prayer-hall and the main altar on the eastern side, attached to which are the sacristies.
History
Being concerned by the unattractive state of the church, in 1979, architect Rafayel IsrayelianRafayel Israyelian
Rafayel Israyelyan |Georgia]] - 8 September 1973, Yerevan, Armenia) was an Armenian architect and designer based in Yerevan, Armenia. He is author of an immense architectural heritage of civil buildings, monuments and design works.-Background and Education:...
presented to Catholicos of All Armenians Vazgen I
Vazgen I
His Holiness Vazgen I was the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church between 1955 and 1994, in one of the longest reigns of the Armenian Catholicoi. A native of Romania, he began his career as a philosopher, before becoming a Doctor of Theology and a member of the local Armenian clergy...
a project of basic reconstruction of the church. The plan was improved, but unfortunately, the architect died the same year. After 10 years author’s son, architect Areg Israyelian turned his father’s initiative into a technical project, which was allowed to realize. The work project was prepared by the honored architect Baghdasar Arzoumanian
Baghdasar Arzoumanian
Baghdasar Arzoumanian was an Armenian architect and designer based in Yerevan, Armenia...
and designing engineer Avetik Tekevejian. In 1980s the Church was entirely reconstructed and restored under the direct leadership of the civil engineer Mikayel Hovhannissian. The dome and the walls of the church were faced with tuf stone. Large-scale works were realized inside the church. In the western side an additional storey was built for the choir, the floor was paved with marble, the wall of the main altar was ornamented, the interior was renovated. Also the bell-tower of the church was built. In 2000 the educational-cultural center “Hovhannes Kozern” was built nearby the church where foreign language and computer courses are organized, the school of Icon art functions.