The Cathedral of Talin () is a seventh-century Armenian cathedral located in the cemetery of

Talin Talin may refer to: Places * Talin, Armenia, a city * Tálín, a municipality and village in the Czech Republic *Tallinn, capital of Estonia * Talin, Iran, a village in West Azerbaijan Province * Talin, Syria, a village in Tartus Governorate Other ...

, 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 ...

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 ...

Talin Cathedral

Architecture

Talin's Katoghike Church sits central to the town cemetery and dominates the surrounding landscape. It is assumed to have been constructed during the late 7th century based on the architectural style. The building is currently in ruin, where the

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 ...

and a significant portion of the western wing have since collapsed. There is a

dodecagon In geometry, a dodecagon, or 12-gon, is any twelve-sided polygon. Regular dodecagon A regular polygon, regular dodecagon is a figure with sides of the same length and internal angles of the same size. It has twelve lines of reflective symmetry ...

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 ...

that is centrally positioned over the structure. Two prayer rooms or "studies" are positioned adjacent to and at either side of the

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 ' ...

. Each room contains a secret passage entrance at the second story level, facing the direction of the apse. The small passage allegedly leads to small rooms above. The apse contains the remnants of numerous

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better r ...

s of the

Apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

painted as

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

es around the

semi-dome In architecture, a semi-dome (or half-dome) is a half dome that covers a semi-circular area in a building. Architecture Semi-domes are a common feature of apses in Ancient Roman and traditional church architecture, and in mosques and iwans in Isla ...

above.

Kamsarakan S. Astvatsatsin Church

Architecture

The church of S. Astvatsatsin is situated adjacent to the entrance of the cemetery and monastic complex at Talin and near the main cathedral. It 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 ...

central-planned building with a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

-style single red tile, octagonal umbrella domed roof that is centered over the church. The dome sits above an octagonal drum that is pierced by four small windows. A decorative geometric projecting

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

trims the dome and

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 ...

. There is a single entrance to the building from the western façade, with an inscription written upon the half-rounded tympanum above. The inscription attests to a construction date in the 7th century. It reads the following passage: There are two Nersehs that are noted to have ruled as governor; one during the reign of

Byzantine Emperor The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...

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 ...

in 639, and another during that of Byzantine Emperor

Justinian II Justinian II (; ; 668/69 – 4 November 711), nicknamed "the Slit-Nosed" (), was the last Byzantine emperor of the Heraclian dynasty, reigning from 685 to 695 and again from 705 to 711. Like his namesake, Justinian I, Justinian II was an ambitio ...

in 689. Its construction has been attributed to Prince Nerseh Kamsarakan who commissioned the church during the 7th century; a time when the

Kamsarakan The House of Kamsarakan () was an Armenian noble family that was an offshoot of the House of Karen, also known as the Karen-Pahlav. The Karens were one of the Seven Great Houses of Iran and were of Parthian origin. In the Byzantine-Sasanian era ...

family ruled over the region surrounding Talin.

Gallery

File:Cathedral of Talin, Armenia drone aerial.jpg, An aerial view of the cathedral Cathedral in Talin, Armenia 2018-10-22 v4.jpg Cathedral of Talin 10.JPG Cathedral of Talin 2015 aug pic 11.JPG Image:Talin Cathedral Side.JPG, West façade of the partially collapsed Cathedral Image:Talin Cathedral Close.JPG, Closer view of the south façade File:Cathedral in Talin, Armenia 2018-10-22 v2.jpg Image:Talin Cathedral Sundial.JPG, Sundial on the exterior of the drum Image:Talin Cathedral Inscription.JPG, Inscription on an exterior wall Image:Talin chapel.jpg, Interior of the drum and dome of S. Astvatsatsin Church. Image:Church complex of Talin 04.JPG Image:Talin cathedral 1.jpg Image:Talin Cathedral - Armenia.JPG Image:Talin S. Astvatsatsin Pillar.JPG, Stone pillar of S. Astvatsatsin adjacent to Kamsarakan S. Astvatsatsin Church in the Talin Cemetery.

References

External links

Armeniapedia: Talin Cathedral

Program about Cathedral of Talin by Vem Radio
{{Armenian Churches Armenian Apostolic cathedrals in Armenia Oriental Orthodox congregations established in the 7th century Churches in Aragatsotn Province Tourist attractions in Aragatsotn Province Armenian Apostolic cathedrals 7th-century churches in Armenia