On a small island of Lake Van the x c ruined church of the Holy Cross church is one of the most sublime examples of Armenian religious architecture. Constructed between 915 and 921 AD during the reign of the Armenian King Gagik Ardzrouni of the Vaspurakan dynasty by the architect Trdat Mendet (also known as Manuel), alongside a royal palace and monastery. The complex originally included streets, gardens and terraced parks surrounding the palace and church. The church is all that remains today. The Church of the Holy Cross was once an important Armenian cathedral. The seat of the Armenian Orthodox patriarch.
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The building is made of red colored tufa stone brought from distant quarries. The wall structure is made of rectangular cut stones with different shades of tufaceous stones. With a cruciform plan and three entrances the church has a dome resting on a high polygonal drum, the pyramidal cone on top, reminiscent of Seljuk gumbats (kümbet), gives emphasis to the vertical dimension. The square central hall is surrounded by four niches with semi-domes, one of which serves as the apse. Four additional niches at each corner broaden the central hall. The chapels at the south-eastern and at the north-eastern end were added later together with a small belfry. All these later additions spoil the balance and harmony of the original exterior and cover some of the original relieves adorning the church itself. The interior walls are decorated with much degraded frescoes.
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church of Holy Cross
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But are the rich figural relieves which surround the exterior that make Aght'amar distinctly original, in fact, unique. There is no other work comparable to Aght'amar either before or after. Bold relieves surround the building in various bands and at different heights, they present a wide range of themes, ranging from religious subjects derived from the Bible and the Old Testament to worldly scenes such as palace life, hunting figures from daily life and a variety of animals. A remarkable design of "populated vine" (interspersed with animals) encircles the entire church.
Van Lake |
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