Sourb Arakelots Church :: ARMENIAN HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

Sourb Arakelots Church

Turkey / Kars / Kars / Kars

Restoration
2007 y․

Arakelots (Apostles’) Church of Kars (turned into a mosque named Kumbet since 1998). The restoration of the monument started in July 2007 and was planned to be completed in December of the same year. The work was carried out by Damarci Insaat Construction Company under the control of Kürsat Genç Company.

Hakobian Ashot, Archaeological Excavations and Restoration of Monuments in Western Armenia, "Vardzk", 2011, N 4, p. 23.

The roof of the church was cleaned of grass, and the corroded parts of its covering slabs were restored. However, a flagrant mistake was committed during this work—the partly-corroded semi-cylindrical projections of the old indented covering slabs of all the sections of the church, except the dome spire, were trimmed and flattened, being replaced with newly-dressed long projections of separate stones. These resembled the old, single-piece covering slabs outwardly, but in fact, they were fixed in the place of the old ones with mortar, as a result of which, these newly-invented covering slabs are merely decorative and cannot perform a hydro-insular function.

Hakobian Ashot, Archaeological Excavations and Restoration of Monuments in Western Armenia, in: "Vardzk", 2011, N 4, p. 23.

To summarise, we may state that the newly-initiated restoration of Armenian monuments ongoing in Turkey should be welcomed as it prevents them from further corrosion. At the same time, however, it should be mentioned that they are restored with evident omissions and mistakes, as those carrying out the work have absolutely no knowledge of the building principles typical of medieval Armenian architecture.

Hakobian Ashot, Archaeological Excavations and Restoration of Monuments in Western Armenia, in: "Vardzk", 2011, N 4, pp. 23-24.

Type Photo
View Exterior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Colour Negative
Date 2000 y․

Arakelots Church before its “restoration”

Type Photo
View Exterior
Direction From the north-east
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Colour Negative

Type Photo
View Interior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Colour Negative

An inner view of the tambour of the same church

Type Photo
View Exterior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Colour Negative
Date 2007 y․

Arakelots Church during its “restoration”

Type Photo
View Exterior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Colour Negative
Date 2007 y․

Name	Year/Century	Etymology
Gmbet	1998 y․