Saint Mariane Church of Ashtarak
Encyclopedia
The church of Saint Mariane is centrally located in the town of Ashtarak
in the Aragatsotn
province of Armenia
. Nearby are the churches of Karmravor (located southeast of the S. Mariane), Spitakavor
, Tsiranavor
, and Surb Sarkis
. There is also a unique bridge of 1664 in the gorge nearby. S. Mariane may be clearly seen from across the gorge at S. Sargis church. The church sits adjacent to Smbat Shahaziz road, between Perch Proshyan and Parpetsi roads though it is easiest reached via a vacant lot southeast of the complex.
central-plan from the interior, and two-tiered side-chapels join the apse
from the western and eastern sides. Of particular interest is the church's drum
that is circular from the interior and decahedral
from the exterior. A tall dome
rests on top. Façades of the church, drum, and dome are simply adorned with cruciform decorations around the rectangular windows. The main portal into the structure is at the southern wall, with a belfry
over this wing built in 1838. Another portal leads into the church from the western wall. Adjacent to the western wing of the church, is an unfinished 20th century basilica
with the remainders of a fortified wall built of unprocessed blocks of basalt
.
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
Aragatsotn
Aragatsotn is a province of Armenia. It is in the west of the country, and its capital is Ashtarak. The name means "a foot of Aragats" . During the Arsacid Dynasty of the Kingdom of Armenia, the region was part of the Ayrarat province...
province of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. Nearby are the churches of Karmravor (located southeast of the S. Mariane), Spitakavor
Spitakavor Church of Ashtarak
The church of Spitakavor is located at the edge of a gorge in the town of Ashtarak in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. It may be seen across the gorge from the church of Surb Sarkis, but is easiest reached via the streets of the neighborhood that it sits within...
, Tsiranavor
Tsiranavor Church of Ashtarak
The church of Tsiranavor is located at the edge of a gorge in the town of Ashtarak in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. It may be seen across the gorge from the church of Surb Sarkis, but is easiest reached via the streets of the neighborhood that it sits within...
, and Surb Sarkis
Saint Sargis Church of Ashtarak
The church of Saint Sargis is located at the edge of a gorge opposite the town of Ashtarak in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. It is situated at an attractive point at a promontory overlooking the gorge and offers a fine view to the three churches of Tsiranavor, Spitakavor, and Karmravor....
. There is also a unique bridge of 1664 in the gorge nearby. S. Mariane may be clearly seen from across the gorge at S. Sargis church. The church sits adjacent to Smbat Shahaziz road, between Perch Proshyan and Parpetsi roads though it is easiest reached via a vacant lot southeast of the complex.
Architecture
S. Mariane was built in the year 1271 (according to some sources 1281), and has proportions peculiar to the given period of its construction. It has a rectangular plan from the exterior and a 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,...
central-plan from the interior, and two-tiered side-chapels join the apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
from the western and eastern sides. Of particular interest is the church's 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....
that is circular from the interior and decahedral
Decahedron
In geometry, a decahedron is a polyhedron with 10 faces. There are 32300 topologically distinct decahedra and none are regular, so this name is ambiguous.With regular faces:* Octagonal prism * Square antiprism...
from the exterior. A tall 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....
rests on top. Façades of the church, drum, and dome are simply adorned with cruciform decorations around the rectangular windows. The main portal into the structure is at the southern wall, with 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...
over this wing built in 1838. Another portal leads into the church from the western wall. Adjacent to the western wing of the church, is an unfinished 20th century basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
with the remainders of a fortified wall built of unprocessed blocks of basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
.