Tsiranavor Church of Ashtarak
Encyclopedia
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. Very close (down the street 3 houses) and also sitting along the gorge is the church of Spitakavor
(literally meaning whitish because of its color), built between the 5th-6th centuries. (Note: Some confusion about the name of the churches of Spitakavor and Tsiranavor has seemed to have occurred due to the misplacement of the Russian markers located inside the two structures. Anyone that lives in the city around the area will tell you that Spitakavor is the white church, and Tsiranavor is the apricot colored church.) Nearby are also the churches of Karmravor, S. Mariane
, and S. Sarkis
. In the gorge is a unique bridge built in 1664.
-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.
type church constructed between the 13th to 14th centuries. It is apricot-orange in color, because of the tufa
stone used for the construction of the building. Presently, only the walls remain since the roof, drum
, and dome
have collapsed. There is a main portal to the structure at the front façade, and another at the side of the church. Interior walls are flat except for the semi-circular apse
located directly across from the main portal. Very little decoration adorns the church other than some cruciform relief found on the exterior walls.
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...
. 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. Very close (down the street 3 houses) and also sitting along the gorge is the church of 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...
(literally meaning whitish because of its color), built between the 5th-6th centuries. (Note: Some confusion about the name of the churches of Spitakavor and Tsiranavor has seemed to have occurred due to the misplacement of the Russian markers located inside the two structures. Anyone that lives in the city around the area will tell you that Spitakavor is the white church, and Tsiranavor is the apricot colored church.) Nearby are also the churches of Karmravor, S. Mariane
Saint Mariane Church of Ashtarak
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 , 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...
, and S. 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....
. In the gorge is a unique bridge built in 1664.
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
Tsiranavor 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,...
type church constructed between the 13th to 14th centuries. It is apricot-orange in color, because of the tufa
Tufa
Tufa is a variety of limestone, formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from ambient temperature water bodies. Geothermally heated hot-springs sometimes produce similar carbonate deposits known as travertine...
stone used for the construction of the building. Presently, only the walls remain since the roof, 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....
, and 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....
have collapsed. There is a main portal to the structure at the front façade, and another at the side of the church. Interior walls are flat except for the semi-circular apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
located directly across from the main portal. Very little decoration adorns the church other than some cruciform relief found on the exterior walls.