The Cathedral of Talin ( hy, Թալինի Կաթողիկե եկեղեցի) 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 *Ta ...

, in the

Aragatsotn Province Aragatsotn ( hy, Արագածոտն, ) is a province ('' 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 Statistical Committee of Armenia reported ...

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

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 dodecagon is a figure with sides of the same length and internal angles of the same size. It has twelve lines of reflective symmetry and rotational sym ...

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 she ...

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 (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

. 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 portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, Personality type ...

s of the

Apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

painted as

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' 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 plaste ...

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 Cruciform is a term for physical manifestations resembling a common cross or Christian cross. The label can be extended to architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described ...

central-planned building with a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

-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 that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

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 ca ...

. 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 This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as le ...

Heraclius Heraclius ( grc-gre, Ἡράκλειος, Hērákleios; c. 575 – 11 February 641), was List of Byzantine emperors, Eastern Roman emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the Exa ...

in 639, and another during that of Byzantine Emperor Justinian II in 689. Its construction has been attributed to Prince

Nerseh Kamsarakan Narseh (also spelled Narses or Narseus; pal, 𐭭𐭥𐭮𐭧𐭩, New Persian: , ''Narsē'') was the seventh Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 293 to 303. The youngest son of Shapur I (), Narseh served as the governor of Sakastan (Sasanian P ...

who commissioned the church during the 7th century; a time when the

Kamsarakan Kamsarakan ( hy, Կամսարական) 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-S ...

family ruled over the region surrounding Talin.

Gallery

Image:Talin Cathedral Side.JPG, West façade of the partially collapsed Cathedral Image:Talin Cathedral Close.JPG, Closer view of the south façade 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

About Cathedral of Talin

Armeniapedia: Talin Cathedral

Program about Cathedral of Talin by Vem Radio
{{Armenian Churches Armenian Apostolic cathedrals in Armenia Destroyed churches 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