Artak Ghulyan (; 28 December 1958 – 16 April 2025) was an Armenian architect and designer, and professor of the
International Academy of Architecture
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
. In September 2013, he received the title of "Honored Architect of the Republic of Armenia". In December 2013, he received the "State Prize of the Republic of Armenia" for the design of the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Manuscript Library building at the
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin (), known in Armenian as simply the Mother See (Մայր Աթոռ, ''Mayr At’oř''), is the governing body of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is headquartered around Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Vagharshapat (Etc ...
.
Ghulyan designed many civil buildings and monuments, but his fame was mainly based on his evolutionary designs of new
Armenian churches.
Early life and career
Artak Ghulyan was born in 1958 in
Gyulistan village of the
Shahumyan Region, a majority-Armenian administrative unit outside the
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) was an Autonomous oblasts of the Soviet Union, autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic that was created on July 7, 1923. Its capital was the city of Stepanakert. The majori ...
, within the
Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic
The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, also referred to as the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, Azerbaijan SSR, Azerbaijani SSR, AzSSR, Soviet Azerbaijan or simply Azerbaijan, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent re ...
,
USSR
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. His parents were teachers at the school of the village.
After completing his secondary education in his native village with honorary degrees in 1976, Ghulyan moved to
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...
to study architecture at the
, known as the ''Karl Marx Institute of Polytechnic'' during the
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
period. He graduated from the university in 1981.
Between 1981 and 1988 Ghulyan worked as an assistant lecturer in the Faculty of Architecture of the Polytechnic Institute, teaching the basics of architectural design. Between 1988 and 1991 he was employed by the Art Institute of the
Armenian National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA) (, ''Hayastani Hanrapetut’yan gitut’yunneri azgayin akademia'') is the Armenian national academy, functioning as the primary body that conducts research and coordinates activ ...
to work at the Department of Architecture. Between 1991 and 1994, Ghulyan worked as the chief of the Department of Medieval Monuments of the Board of Monuments Preservation of the Republic of Armenia. In 1994, he became a senior co-worker of the National Academy's art institute. Between 1988 and 2010, Ghulyan concurrently worked as a teacher in the Faculty of Architecture of the
lecturing on architectural theory and the restoration of historic monuments. In 2002, Ghulyan became a
Docent
The term "docent" is derived from the Latin word , which is the third-person plural present active indicative of ('to teach, to lecture'). Becoming a docent is often referred to as habilitation or doctor of science and is an academic qualifi ...
(Associate professor), and later in 2006 he received his PhD degree in architecture from the University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia.
Personal life and death
Ghulyan was married to Hasmik Stepanyan, a graduate of the
. The couple had two children. He died on 16 April 2025, at the age of 66.
National awards
In September 2013, Ghulyan received the title of "Honored Architect of the Republic of Armenia" by a decree issued by then-president
Serzh Sargsyan
Serzh Azati Sargsyan (, ; born 30 June 1954)[Official biography of Serzh Sargsyan](_blank)
. In December of the same year, president Serzh Sargsyan honored him with the "State Prize of the Republic of Armenia" in the field of urban development and architecture, for the design of the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Manuscript Library building in
Etchmiadzin
Vagharshapat ( ) is the 5th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is commonly known as Ejmiatsin ...
.
Works and designs
Artak Ghulyan designed many Armenian churches throughout Armenia as well as the
Armenian diaspora
The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...
. His notable works include:
*Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Manuscript Library of the
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin (), known in Armenian as simply the Mother See (Մայր Աթոռ, ''Mayr At’oř''), is the governing body of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is headquartered around Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Vagharshapat (Etc ...
,
Vagharshapat
Vagharshapat ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Armenia, 5th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border ...
, opened in October 2012.
*
Saint John the Baptist Church, Abovyan, opened in May 2013.
*Armenian Monastery Complex of Moscow:
Holy Transfiguration Cathedral and the Church of the Holy Cross, opened in September 2013.
*Surp Hovhannes Church,
Berd
Berd ( ) is a town in the Tavush Province of Armenia. It is the administrative centre of Berd Municipality. The town is located to the west of the Tavush River, from Yerevan, surrounded by low mountains. Near the city are the ruins of the 10th ...
, opened in September 2014.
*Surp Karapet Church, near
Jordan River
The Jordan River or River Jordan (, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn''; , ''Nəhar hayYardēn''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Sharieat'' (), is a endorheic river in the Levant that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and drains to the Dead ...
,
Jordan
Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
, opened in October 2014.
*Church of the Holy Archangels,
Sevan, opened in March 2015.
*Church of the Holy Martyrs in Nubarashen,
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...
, opened in April 2015.
*Surp Hovhannes Church,
Artashat
Artashat (), Hellenized as Artaxata () and Artaxiasata (), was a major city and commercial center of ancient Armenia that served as the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia from its founding in 176 BC to 120 AD, with some interruptions. It was fo ...
, opened in May 2015.
*Church of the Holy Saviour,
Nor Hachn, opened in July 2015.
*
Eurnekian School
Eurnekian School (), is a state school, public school in Vagharshapat, Armavir Province, Armenia, affiliated with the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin which is the regulating body of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The school is supervised by the Eur ...
of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Vagharshapat, opened in September 2017.
*Holy Cross Church of Arabkir District, Yerevan, opened in April 2018.
*
Quba Mere Diwane
Quba () is a city and the administrative centre of the Quba District of Azerbaijan. The city lies on the north-eastern slopes of Shahdag mountain, at an altitude of 600 metres above sea level, on the right bank of the Kudyal river. It has a p ...
Yazidi Temple,
Aknalich
Aknalich (or Aknalitch, ; formerly, Aygherlich) is a village in the Armavir Province of Armenia. The village is situated on a lake, after which it is named, to the east of Metsamor.
Aknalich village is the site of the only Yazidi temple in Armen ...
, opened in September 2019
Projected works
*Mesrop Mashtots Church in Erebuni, Yerevan, construction in progress.
*Armenian church complex,
Cherepovets
Cherepovets ( rus, Череповец, p=tɕɪrʲɪpɐˈvʲets) is a city in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located in the west of the oblast on the banks of the Sheksna River (a tributary of the Volga River) and on the shores of the Rybinsk Reservoir. ...
, construction in progress.
*Armenian church,
Surgut
Surgut ( rus, Сургу́т, p=sʊrˈgut; Khanty: Сәрханӆ, ''Sərhanł, Сө̆ркут, sörkut'') is a city in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located on the Ob River near its junction with the Irtysh River. It is one of the fe ...
, construction in progress.
*Church of the Holy Martyrs in Shengavit, Yerevan, awarded.
References
External links
Artak Ghulyan biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghulyan, Artak
1958 births
2025 deaths
20th-century Armenian architects
21st-century Armenian architects