Four-Apse Church :: ARMENIAN HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

Four-Apse Church 10 — 11 cc․

Turkey / Kars / Bash-Shoragyal / Ani

Location

The four-apse church of the Citadel is situated on a slanting south-facing mountain slope, in the south-west of the royal church.

Karapetian, Samvel. Ani 1050, Yerevan, 2011, p. 74.

Historical Introduction
10 — 11 cc․

Its dating (10th to 11th centuries) is determined through a comparative research into its composition and building peculiarities, as well as its decoration elements (particularly, the ornate cornices and roof-covering slabs).

Karapetian, Samvel. Ani 1050, Yerevan, 2011, p. 74.

The monument, which remained standing only thanks to the meagre remnants of its south-western wall (it was preserved up to the roof-covering slabs of the building), existed almost in the same state until the 1960s. Later it collapsed and is now almost levelled with the ground.

Karapetian, Samvel. Ani 1050, Yerevan, 2011, p. 74.

Architectural Description

The church used to represent a central-domed four-apse structure with two vestries in the east. Exterior dimensions: 6.95 x 7.40 metres.

Karapetian, Samvel. Ani 1050, Yerevan, 2011, p. 74.

Type Photo
View Exterior
Direction From the south
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Colour Negative
Date 2010 y․

Type Photo
View Exterior
Direction From the south-east
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Colour Negative
Date 2010 y․

Type Photo
View Exterior
Direction From the north-west
Author Toros Toramanian
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1910 y․

Type Photo
View Exterior
Direction From the north-west
Author Jean-Michel Thierry
Source Colour Negative
Date 1960 y․

Type Photo
View Exterior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Colour Negative
Date 2010 y․

The remains of the south-western stylobate of the four-apse church of the Citadel

Type Measurement
View Exterior
Author Ashot Hakobian
Source Sketch
Date 2010 y․

The plan of the four-apse church of the Citadel