Medieval Christian architecture. Part 1
The last part of my story about the spring trip to Armenia will be devoted to previously missed Christian monuments: churches and monasteries that we saw. These monuments are shown to the guests of the country most often.
In this story, I will try to answer my own question: how does Armenian architecture differ from others that were also Christian. I will list the places I saw, I will try to note what seemed to me remarkable and distinctive in this or that place.
The heyday of Armenian architecture fell on the first centuries of Christianity (IV-V centuries), another surge occurred at the end of the Armenian royal dynasty, and with it statehood and sovereignty (XI-XII). The cessation of construction is explained by invasions (Arabs, Seljuks, Mongols, Persians) and the loss of independence and statehood.
The first churches were mostly basilicas, where ancient forms were adapted to new functions. On the site of the former pagan temples, early Christian ones are erected. We did not see “pure” basils on our trip, but they are in the country. This is explained by the proximity of Byzantium to the Greek tradition and the fact that Armenian architects often worked on the territory of the neighboring empire, enriching their experience with new knowledge.
In addition, the architecture of the mausoleums that existed in the Middle East was used during the construction of the first churches.
The basilica in the Armenian tradition is sometimes adjoined by a covered gallery (Odzun).
Further on, the basilicas begin to be replaced by domed churches. Basilicas exist and develop only in civil architecture. This is due to the fact that the new religion required a different, non-pagan design. Architects were looking for new forms. Such were the domed and cross-domed volumes that appeared in neighboring Byzantium almost at the same time, after the adoption of Christianity as its official religion. There are also such people on the territory of the Slavic countries, after baptism they borrowed not only the religion itself, but also the form of the church, where the architecture uses the cross in the plan of the temple.
Armenia also built halls in the form of a cross inscribed in a circle or a polygon. I have not come across this before, although I once saw a round church in distant Great Britain, but I was not inside it, I did not see the internal layout. That round church was, incidentally, associated with the Byzantine emperor Constantine, who made Christianity the state religion of Rome (known to us as Byzantium).
Armenian examples with domed halls transformed from a three-aisled basilica that we have seen: Odzun, St. Hripsime in Vagharshapat.
In the V-VII centuries. build small cruciform churches. Etchmiadzin is considered the very first continuously existing in one place. True, today the first church is located under the current cathedral, and there is no free entrance to it.
In the 7th century, a very unusual cruciform central-domed church appeared - Zvartots.
model of Zvartots in the museum
Only ruins, partially restored, have survived from Zvartots today. And the plans and layout of the temple can be seen in the museum on the territory of the complex.
Church of St. Hripsime has been operating continuously from the moment of construction to this day.
St. Repsime
In the difficult times of the Arab invasion, the art of cutting khachkars appeared, which I wrote about earlier. After the liberation from the Arabs, architecture is on the rise. The first churches repeat the forms of those that were built earlier. But later they start to get more complicated. Free-standing pylons appear in the Church of Peter and Paul in Tatev (IX century).
On the territory of monasteries during the period of the second flourishing of architecture, in addition to directly church buildings, complexes of outbuildings appeared: refectories, schools, book depositories, hotels, vestibules.
refectory (Hahpat)
The vestibules (Armenian gavits and zhamatuns), widespread in the 10th-13th centuries, deserve special attention. (Hahpat, Sanahin, Geghard). They are used for various purposes: as tombs, places for parishioners, meeting rooms. Sometimes they reach enormous sizes. Gavits are directly adjacent to the church, tombs are made under their floor (in the Armenian tradition, this cannot be done in a church). Zhamatuns are built separately and are used most often for meetings.
gavit (Sanain)
The design of the dome is curious. In Armenia, the dome is cone-shaped, covered with stone. First, the shape is faceted, then it becomes round. The tiled dome of the Karmavor church in Ashtarak has been preserved since the 5th century (we, alas, did not find it). Sometimes domes turn into some kind of pleated skirts. And such people simply fascinated me.
church in Amberd fortress
Secular architecture influences church architecture. This happened especially often in the XII-XIV centuries. In addition, the dome often has a light window - yerdik. It is borrowed from the folk dwelling of the glkhatun, where a hole is made to let the smoke out of the hearth. The same hole can be seen in the domes of churches. Symbols of the Christian religion are placed around the hole and decorated with "stalactites", which are found in Muslim architecture.
hole in the dome (Noravank)
When the intersecting arches appear, they started to make a skylight above. Thanks to the lantern, the proportions of the church are drawn out (Hagpat, Noravank). At the same time, temples are decorated with stone carvings.
Church of the Mother of God with a lantern under the dome (Noravank)
In the XIII century. bell towers appear (Hahpat, Sanahin). On the first floor there is a chapel, and above, surrounded by columns, there are bells. At the same time, mausoleums-tombs-churches were built on the territory of monasteries (Hagpat, Noravank). Here the first floor is occupied by a tomb, and on the second there is a chapel.
bell tower (Hahpat)
Churches quite often have, as it were, two floors. In some, the stairs to the second one are taken out (Noravank, Goshavank), in most of them, apparently, they were inside, perhaps mobile (or not preserved). They led to the aisles above, which could be two or four in the corners. As a result, the church, as it were, stretched upwards even more (especially if there was also a light lantern in the dome). These stairs are very steep and narrow.
outdoor staircase (Goshavank)
Armenian priests explain this form of stairs as follows: the path to God is difficult (ascent), and the rejection of faith is even more difficult (descent).
internal staircase (Kecharis)
Starting from the 15th century. build significantly less. Due to economic and political decline, only the art of khachkars remains. Since the 17th century calmer times begin. Then the old churches were restored (the Cathedral of the Catholicos of Etchmiadzin in Vagharshapat), new ones were built - the Khor Virap Monastery (XVII century). There is a return to the traditions of construction of the 5th-7th centuries.
In the conditions of the loss of independence, new monastic complexes become fortresses (before they had the function of education - they were universities). Now the monastery has one main temple, standing in the middle like a Western European donjon. Around it are other monastic buildings. If there are other churches, they no longer adjoin the main one, but fit into the overall architecture of the buildings around. The entire monastery is surrounded by a defensive wall.
Next, following the previously outlined route, I will list the churches and monasteries we met along the way.
