Artavazik Church () of the 7th century is located in a stone field one kilometer northeast just a little outside the village of
Byurakan
Byurakan () is a village in the Ashtarak Municipality of the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia, located on the slope of Mount Aragats. The village is home to several historical sites including the 7th-century Artavazik Church, the 10th-century bas ...
in the
Aragatsotn Province
Aragatsotn (, ) is a administrative divisions of Armenia, province (''Marz (country subdivision), marz'') of Armenia. It is located in the western part of the country. The capital and largest city of the province is the town of Ashtarak. The Sta ...
of
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
. The name of the church goes back to the Armenian king at the time, presumed to be the founder.
Architecture
The church is a small
cruciform
A cruciform is a physical manifestation resembling a common cross or Christian cross. These include architectural shapes, biology, art, and design.
Cruciform architectural plan
Christian churches are commonly described as having a cruciform ...
monocoque
Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell".
First used for boats, ...
type structure with a long west arm and semicircular eastern
apse
In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...
that is narrower by far than the other three arms. In the northeast corner adjacent to the apse is a "study" or prayer room. Large portions of walls and a section of the
gable roof
A gable roof is a roof consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its ridge. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins. The pitch of a gable roof c ...
at the western end are preserved, as well as a large section of the lower-
drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...
of a
belfry
The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...
that rests above the front entry. The belfry had been added in the 13th century but has recently collapsed. Four tall and thin
column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...
s stood on the rim of a lower drum and once supported a slightly narrower upper drum with a small conical
dome
A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...
above. A small portion of their footings may still be seen attached to the base drum. These lower and upper drums were both decorated with interwoven geometric knot designs that encircled the structural elements. There was originally a large
octagon
In geometry, an octagon () is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon.
A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, which alternates two types of edges. A truncated octagon, t is a ...
al drum and dome that stood above the center of the church before the collapse of its main roof. Close to the church to the southwest are the remains of the badly damaged main dome.
Behind the church and across a small
ravine
A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. Ravines may also be called a cleuch, dell, ...
is a huge
khachkar
A ''khachkar'' (also spelled as ''khatchkar'') or Armenian cross-stone (, , խաչ ''xačʿ'' "cross" + քար ''kʿar'' "stone") is a carved, memorial stele bearing a cross, and often with additional motifs such as rosette (design), rosettes ...
monument from the 13th century with a shed roof at the rear.
Gallery
Image:Map of Amberd.gif, Road map of Byurakan and surrounding region.
Image:Բյուրական ԵԿԵՂԵՑԻ ԱՐՏԱՎԱԶԴԻԿ17-17.JPG, Southern exterior wall.
Image:Artavazik South Wall2.JPG, Southern exterior wall.
Image:Artavazik North Wall2.JPG, Northern exterior wall.
Image:Artavazik Khachkar2.JPG, Huge 13th-century khachkar monument located behind the church across the small ravine.
Image:Artavazik Belfry Front.jpg, Front view with belfry still intact. (Photo taken prior to 2005)
Image:Artavazik Belfry Side.jpg, Side view with belfry still intact. (Photo taken prior to 2005)
Image:Artavazik Belfry.jpg, Detailed view of the belfry. (Photo taken prior to 2005)
References
Bibliography
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External links
Armenian Architectural StudiesArtavazik Church Pictures With BelfryFindArmenia.com: Artavazik Church
{{Armenian Churches
7th-century churches in Armenia
Churches in Aragatsotn Province
Christian monasteries in Armenia
Tourist attractions in Aragatsotn Province