Zvartnots Cathedral
Encyclopedia
Zvartnots Cathedral are the ruins of a seventh century centrally-planned aisled tetraconch
type Armenian
cathedral built by order of the Catholicos Nerses the Builder from 641-653. It is located at the edge of the city of Etchmiadzin
in the Armavir Province of Armenia
.
control and during the early invasions of Armenia
by the Muslim Arabs. Construction of the cathedral began in 642 under the guidance of Catholicos Nerses III (nicknamed Shinogh or the Builder), who built the majestic cathedral dedicated to St. Grigor at the place where a meeting between king Trdat III and Gregory the Illuminator
was supposed to have taken place. According to the medieval Armenian historian Movses Kaghankatvatsi
, the cathedral was consecrated in 653. From 653 to 659, Nerses was in Tayk
and the construction of the cathedral continued under Anastas Akarratsi. Following the Arab occupation of Dvin
and the intensifying wars between the Byzantine and Arab armies on the former's eastern borders, Nerses transferred the patriarchal palace of the Catholicos from Dvin to Zvartnots.
Zvartnots remained standing up until the end of the tenth century; afterwards, historical sources are silent as to the cause of its collapse. A close imitation of the cathedral was carried out by Trdat the Architect
under the reign of Gagik I Bagratuni during the final decade of the tenth century. The contemporary Armenian historian Stepanos Taronetsi
referred to Zvartnots when describing the church that Gagik I had inaugurated as "a large structure at Vałaršapat [Vagharshapat], dedicated to the same saint, that had fallen into ruins."
Khachik Dadyan, uncovering the foundations of the cathedral as well as the remains of the Catholicos palace and a winery. The excavations furthermore revealed that Zvartnots stood on the remnants of structures that dated back to reign of the Urartian king Rusa II
.
, who worked on the original excavations, that the building had three floors.
Some scholars such as Stepan Mnatsakanyan, and most notably A. Kuzentsov, however, reject his reconstruction and have offered alternative plans. Kuzentsov, for example, contended that Toramanian's plan was "constructionally illogical" and insisted that the technical expertise at the time did not correspond to the bold design that the architect had conceived.
The interior of the mosaic
-decorated church had the shape of a Greek cross or tetraconch
, with an aisle encircling this area, while the exterior was a 32-sided polygon
which appeared circular from a distance.
Some sources claim that the Zvartnots cathedral is depicted upon Mount Ararat
in a relief in Sainte-Chapelle
in Paris
. However, this is not very likely as the fresco was painted more than 300 years after destruction of the church.
Together with churches in Echmiadzin
, Zvartnots was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2000.
A drawing of the cathedral was depicted on the first issue of 100 AMD banknotes and its model can be seen in the Museum of History in Yerevan
.
after Zvartnots and was completed in 2003.
Tetraconch
A tetraconch, from the Greek for "four shells", is a building, usually a church or other religious building, with four apses, one in each direction, usually of equal size. The basic ground plan of the building is therefore a Greek cross...
type Armenian
Armenian architecture
Armenian architecture is an architectural style developed over the last 4,500 years of human habitation in the Armenian Highland and used principally by the Armenian people.- Common characteristics of Armenian architecture:...
cathedral built by order of the Catholicos Nerses the Builder from 641-653. It is located at the edge of the city of Etchmiadzin
Ejmiatsin, Armenia
Vagharshapat , commonly known as Ejmiatsin in Eastern Armenian and Echmiadzin in Western Armenian , is the fourth-largest city in Armenia and the spiritual centre of the Armenians, as it is the seat of the Catholicos of All Armenians, the head of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church...
in the Armavir Province of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
.
History
Zvartnots was built at a time when much of Armenia was found under ByzantineByzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
control and during the early invasions of Armenia
Arab conquest of Armenia
The Arab conquest of Armenia was a part of the Muslim conquests after the death of Muhammad in AD 632.Persian Armenia had fallen to the Byzantine Empire shortly before, in AD 629, and was conquered in the Rashidun Caliphate by AD 645.-Islamic expansion:...
by the Muslim Arabs. Construction of the cathedral began in 642 under the guidance of Catholicos Nerses III (nicknamed Shinogh or the Builder), who built the majestic cathedral dedicated to St. Grigor at the place where a meeting between king Trdat III and Gregory the Illuminator
Gregory the Illuminator
Saint Gregory the Illuminator or Saint Gregory the Enlightener is the patron saint and first official head of the Armenian Apostolic Church...
was supposed to have taken place. According to the medieval Armenian historian Movses Kaghankatvatsi
Movses Kaghankatvatsi
Movses Kaghankatvatsi , or Movses Daskhurantsi , is the reputed author of a 10th-century Old Armenian historiographical work on Caucasian Albania, known as The History of the Country of Albania .- Authorship :...
, the cathedral was consecrated in 653. From 653 to 659, Nerses was in Tayk
Tayk
Tayk was a historical province of the Greater Armenia, one of its 15 ashkars . Tayk consisted of 8 cantons:* Kogh* Berdats por* Partizats por* Tchakatk* Bokha* Vokaghe* Azordats por* Arsiats por....
and the construction of the cathedral continued under Anastas Akarratsi. Following the Arab occupation of Dvin
Dvin
Dvin was a large commercial city and the capital of early medieval Armenia. It was situated north of the previous ancient capital of Armenia, the city of Artaxata, along the banks of the Metsamor River, 35 km to the south of modern Yerevan...
and the intensifying wars between the Byzantine and Arab armies on the former's eastern borders, Nerses transferred the patriarchal palace of the Catholicos from Dvin to Zvartnots.
Zvartnots remained standing up until the end of the tenth century; afterwards, historical sources are silent as to the cause of its collapse. A close imitation of the cathedral was carried out by Trdat the Architect
Trdat the Architect
Trdat the Architect was the chief architect of the Bagratuni kings of Armenia, whose 10th century monuments have been argued to be the forerunners of Gothic architecture which came to Europe several centuries later....
under the reign of Gagik I Bagratuni during the final decade of the tenth century. The contemporary Armenian historian Stepanos Taronetsi
Stepanos Asoghik
Stepanos Asoghik , also known as Stepanos Taronetsi , was an Armenian historian of the 11th century. His dates are unknown but he came from Taron and earned the nickname Asoghik . He wrote a Universal History in three books...
referred to Zvartnots when describing the church that Gagik I had inaugurated as "a large structure at Vałaršapat [Vagharshapat], dedicated to the same saint, that had fallen into ruins."
Excavations
Zvartnots remained buried until its remains were uncovered at the start of the 20th century. The site was excavated between 1901 and 1907 under the direction of vardapetVardapet
A Vardapet is a highly-educated archimandrite in the Armenian Apostolic Church tradition who holds a Doctorate in Theology.In the English-speaking world, the best-known of the doctor-monks of Armenia is Mekhitar of Sebaste, founder of an Armenian Catholic community of monks, the...
Khachik Dadyan, uncovering the foundations of the cathedral as well as the remains of the Catholicos palace and a winery. The excavations furthermore revealed that Zvartnots stood on the remnants of structures that dated back to reign of the Urartian king Rusa II
Rusa II
Rusa II was king of Urartu between around 680 BC and 639 BC. It was during his reign that the massive fortress complex, Karmir-Blur, was constructed....
.
Structure
Most scholars accept the 1905 reconstruction by Toros ToramanianToros Toramanian
Toros Toramanian was a prominent Armenian architect. He is considered "the father of Armenian architectural historiography."-Biography:Toramanian was born in 1864, in the town of Şebinkarahisar, Ottoman Empire...
, who worked on the original excavations, that the building had three floors.
The interior of the mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
-decorated church had the shape of a Greek cross or tetraconch
Tetraconch
A tetraconch, from the Greek for "four shells", is a building, usually a church or other religious building, with four apses, one in each direction, usually of equal size. The basic ground plan of the building is therefore a Greek cross...
, with an aisle encircling this area, while the exterior was a 32-sided polygon
Polygon
In geometry a polygon is a flat shape consisting of straight lines that are joined to form a closed chain orcircuit.A polygon is traditionally a plane figure that is bounded by a closed path, composed of a finite sequence of straight line segments...
which appeared circular from a distance.
Some sources claim that the Zvartnots cathedral is depicted upon Mount Ararat
Mount Ararat
Mount Ararat is a snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone in Turkey. It has two peaks: Greater Ararat and Lesser Ararat .The Ararat massif is about in diameter...
in a relief in Sainte-Chapelle
Sainte-Chapelle
La Sainte-Chapelle is the only surviving building of the Capetian royal palace on the Île de la Cité in the heart of Paris, France. It was commissioned by King Louis IX of France to house his collection of Passion Relics, including the Crown of Thorns - one of the most important relics in medieval...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. However, this is not very likely as the fresco was painted more than 300 years after destruction of the church.
Together with churches in Echmiadzin
Echmiadzin
Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin is a 4th century Armenian church in the town of Ejmiatsin, Armenia. It is also the central cathedral of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin of the Armenian Apostolic Church....
, Zvartnots was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2000.
A drawing of the cathedral was depicted on the first issue of 100 AMD banknotes and its model can be seen in the Museum of History in Yerevan
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...
.
Modern Incarnations
The Holy Trinity Armenian Church in the Malatia-Sebastia district of Yerevan is modeled by architect Baghdasar ArzoumanianBaghdasar Arzoumanian
Baghdasar Arzoumanian was an Armenian architect and designer based in Yerevan, Armenia...
after Zvartnots and was completed in 2003.
See also
- Banak Cathedral
- GharghavankGharghavankGharghavank is located on the outskirts of the village of Zoravan on the lower slopes of Mount Ara in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. To get to the church, turn left immediately after the small cemetery before reaching the village and go up the dirt road that follows closely next to the cemetery...
- Etchmiadzin, ArmeniaEjmiatsin, ArmeniaVagharshapat , commonly known as Ejmiatsin in Eastern Armenian and Echmiadzin in Western Armenian , is the fourth-largest city in Armenia and the spiritual centre of the Armenians, as it is the seat of the Catholicos of All Armenians, the head of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church...
- Etchmiadzin Cathedral
- Saint Gayane Church
- Saint Hripsimé Church
- Church of ShoghakatShoghakatThe Church of Shoghakat was erected in 1694 by Prince Aghamal Sorotetsi during the time of Catholicos Nahabed I in the present day city of Vagharshapat , in the Armavir Province of Armenia...
External links
- 3D model of Zvartnots created with Google Sketchup
- Armenica.org: Zvartnots
- Armenian Architecture
- Photographs of Zvartnots
- Unesco