The Cathedral of Mren is a 7th-century

Armenian church Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

in an abandoned medieval town site called Mren. It is located in the Kars region of Turkey, near the border with Armenia, about 1.5 km west of the

Akhurian River The Akhuryan () or Arpachay () is a river in the South Caucasus. It originates in Armenia and flows from Lake Arpi, along the closed border with Turkey, forming part of the geographic border between the two states, until it flows into the Aras ...

Architecture

The Cathedral of Mren is a domed triple-nave

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

, believed, on the basis of an inscription on its west facade and on stylistic features, to have been built 631–639. It was built by David Saharuni, an Armenian ally of the Byzantine emperor

Heraclius Heraclius (; 11 February 641) was Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the Exarch of Africa, led a revolt against the unpopular emperor Phocas. Heraclius's reign was ...

, to celebrate the latter's entry into Jerusalem in 628. Following construction, the name of the Byzantine Emperor, Emperor

Theodosius II Theodosius II ( ; 10 April 401 – 28 July 450), called "the Calligraphy, Calligrapher", was Roman emperor from 402 to 450. He was proclaimed ''Augustus (title), Augustus'' as an infant and ruled as the Eastern Empire's sole emperor after the ...

was inscribed in the cathedral as well as listing him as "Prince of Armenia and Syria". It also featured the name of the Bishop Theophilus and the Prince of Armenia

Nerses Kamsarakan Nerseh or Nerses Kamsarakan () was the presiding prince of Armenia in 689–691, backed by the Byzantine Empire. Armenia had been under the suzerainty of the Arab caliphate since the mid-650s, with the exception of a brief period of Byzantine rule ...

. The cathedral has a number of frescos covering the return of the

True Cross According to Christian tradition, the True Cross is the real instrument of Jesus' crucifixion, cross on which Jesus of Nazareth was Crucifixion of Jesus, crucified. It is related by numerous historical accounts and Christian mythology, legends ...

to Jerusalem by Emperor

. It was noted as being a rare example at the time of showing the Emperor in Byzantine art as being dismounted from his horse and wearing plain clothing, a reference to the story that Heraclius tried to carry the cross in on horseback in his robes but it was too heavy but when he removed his crown and dismounted then it became miraculously light. It also contains early examples of mediaeval wall paintings depicting

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

and the Twelve Apostles. Following the decline of the Byzantine Empire, the cathedral came under Muslim control for two centuries. When Christian rule was returned to the area in the 10th-11th century, the cathedral was reconsecrated. It is the largest surviving domed basilica from seventh century Armenian architecture. Over the years, it had eventually become abandoned due to its remote location and due to it being located near the

Armenia–Turkey border The Armenia–Turkey border (; ) is 311 km (193 m) in length and runs from the tripoint with Georgia (country), Georgia in the north to the tripoint with Azerbaijan in the south. The land border has been closed since 3 April 1993. The bord ...

which had been closed, requiring official Turkish government permission to visit the site, which was rarely given. In 2008, the south wall collapsed, leaving the cathedral's structure unstable. In 2014, the

World Monuments Fund World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and training ...

surveyed the site with the

Turkish Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture and Tourism () is a government ministry of the Republic of Turkey, responsible for culture and tourism affairs in Turkey. Revolving fund management of the ministry is carried by DÖSİMM. On July 9, 2018, the newly elected ...

in order to protect it.

Gallery

File:Cathedral of Mren and surroundings 01.jpg, Path leading from village Karabağ to city of Mren File:Cathedral of Mren and surroundings 30.jpg, Collapsed side aisle File:Cathedral of Mren and surroundings 28.jpg Cathedral of Mren and surroundings 19.jpg Cathedral of Mren and surroundings 18.jpg File:Cathedral of Mren and surroundings 09.jpg, Portal with relief File:Cathedral of Mren and surroundings 04.jpg, Facade with

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 ...

s File:Cathedral of Mren and surroundings 27.jpg, Lintel with relief File:Cathedral of Mren and surroundings 25.jpg, Side aisle File:Cathedral of Mren and surroundings 16.jpg, Apse

Architecture

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading