Cathedral of Ani
| Church of the Mother of God Սուրբ Աստուածածին Եկեղեցի | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | cathedral |
| Status | preserved |
| Location | |
| Location | Ani, Turkey |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Trdat the Architect |
| Type | Domed Basilica |
| Style | Armenian |
| Groundbreaking | 989 |
| Completed | 1001 |
The Cathedral of Ani (Template:Lang-hy, or The Holy Virgin Cathedral; also called Template:Lang-hy, or Mother Church) is an Armenian church[1] built in 1001 AD by the architect Trdat in the ruined ancient Armenian capital of Ani,[2] located in what is now the extreme eastern tip of Turkey, on the border with modern Armenia. It offers an example of a domed cruciform church within a rectangular plan.
The Cathedral of Ani is 100 feet(30,5 meter) long and 65 feet(19,8 meter) wide.[3]
The Catholicosate was relocated to the Arkina district in the suburbs of Ani; and in 990, the talented architect Trdat completed the building of the Catholicosal palace and the Mother Cathedral of Ani. It was founded by order of King Smbat II and was completed under the patronage of the wife of King Gagik I, Queen Katranide'. The cathedral was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. By its high art composition the Cathedral of Ani became one of the architectural masterpieces of Armenia.
Some European historians of architecture, beginning with Josef Strzygowski,[4] believe that the volume composition of the interior elements served to influence the development of European Gothic architecture in the 12th - 14th centuries.[5] Following the Seljuk Turkish victories in eastern Anatolia, Sultan Alp Arslan in 1064 took down the crosses from the cathedral after entering the city; in 1071 it was turned into a mosque.[6]
On September 19, 2010, the Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross at Lake Van saw its first Christian mass in 95 years. A group of Turkish nationalists responded on October 1, 2010, by gathering at the Cathedral of Ani to say Muslim prayers led by Devlet Bahçeli, head of the Nationalist Movement Party.[7]
The cathedral is currently the focus of a conservation project led by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and World Monuments Fund.
Gallery
-
Map of Ani.
See also
References
- ^ New international encyclopedia: Volume 2 - Page 139
- ^ The Architect Trdat Building Practices and Cross-Cultural Exchange in Byzantium and Armenia by Christina Maranci - p.294
- ^ History of Religious Architecture, Ernest H. Short, page 71
- ^ Template:De icon Josef Strzygowski. Die Baukunst der Armenier und Europa. 2 vols. Vienna 1918.
- ^ Armenian Studies program
- ^ Fortescue, Adrian (2001). Lesser Eastern Churches. Gorgias Press. p. 387. ISBN 0-9715986-2-2.
- ^ "Turkish nationalists rally in Armenian holy site at Ani". BBC News Online. 1 October 2010.
External links
- VirtualAni.org: the Ani cathedral.
- Template:Index of Armenian Architecture
- Program about the Ani Cathedral by Vem Radio
- Ani Cathedral project profile on World Monuments Fund's website
3-dimensional models
- Model of a hypothetical reconstruction on Google Sketchup
- Model of the ruins of the Cathedral on Google Sketchup
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