Karmravor (; meaning "reddish" because of the color of its dome), also known as the ''Church of Holy Mother of God'' (Սուրբ Աստվածածին, ''Surb Astvatsatsin'') is a 7th-century Armenian Apostolic church in the town of

Ashtarak Ashtarak ( ) is a town in the Ashtarak Municipality of the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia, located on the left bank of Kasagh River along the gorge, 20 kms northwest of the capital Yerevan. It is the administrative centre of the province and an i ...

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 ...

Architecture

Surp Astvatsatsin is a small building with a cruciform central-plan and a dome with an octagonal

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 ...

and 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 red tile roof. It measures only 19 feet 7 inches by 24 feet 6 inches, and is simply decorated with geometric and foliage patterns around the eaves and cornices. The apse is horseshoe shaped. Many of the original tiles on the roof which were laid on mortar have remained intact, and the church has had only some minor restoration during the 1950s. According to Thierry, ''Surp Astvatsatsin'' marks a turning point in Armenian architecture, with its plan in the shape of a cross with a single dome setting a style that would be repeated over the centuries in spite of other influences. Other churches of a similar style attributed to the 6th or 7th century are St. Marine of Artik, Lmbatavank, St. Astvatsatsin of Talin, and St. Astvatsatsin of Voskepar.

Gallery

Image:Karmravor Ashtarak Walls.JPG Image:Karmravor Gate Inscription.jpg Image:Karmravor Front.jpg Image:Karmravor Side.jpg Image:Karmravor Detail.JPG File:Karmravor 2015-1.jpg File:Karmravor 2015-2.jpg,

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:Karmravor 2015-3.jpg File:Karmravor 2015-4.jpg File:Karmravor 2015-5.jpg

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

About Karmravor Church

Armeniapedia.org: Karmravor Church
{{Armenian Churches Tourist attractions in Aragatsotn Province Armenian Apostolic churches in Ashtarak Oriental Orthodox congregations established in the 7th century