Aght'amar: Holy Cross Cathedral St. Xac' Church; Island of Alt'amar; St. Khatch Church; Island of Akht'amar; Church of the Holy Cross of Aghtamar; Sourp Khatch Manuel the architect Monasteries Churches Islands Medieval Armenian Bas-reliefs Religious buildings The Church of the Holy Cross (Sourp Khatch) on the Island of Aghtamar is the only surviving medieval Armenian Church which has most of its frescos and exterior sculpture still visible. Over a period of one thousand years various structures have been added to the church of Aght'amar. Oldest among these later structures is a small vaulted church built in 1298 by Catholicos Step'anos to the northeast of the Holy Cross church. At a later date a vaulted rectangular porch was attached to it's west facade. In the cemetry to the east of the Holy Cross church are a number of khach'k'ars ("cross stones"). The entire structure is designed as a centrally planned and domed cruciform church based on buildings of the type of Hrip'sime. There was also a gavit (zhamadoun) built in 1763 on the western facade of the church; this is a square space covered by a series of crossed vaulted arches. A bell tower doorway was built in the 19th century on the eastern facade. A few meters from the complex, towards the south east, there was a small chapel, now partly destroyed. King Gagik I Catholikos Stephen III ; Catholikos Zaccaria 1293 CE; 1763 CE 1982 Images Digital Tiff; Jpeg2000 Pink sandstone A-2009 Parsegian, V.L.. Armenian Architecture (Zug, Switzerland; IDC, 1980) Armenian Gevashis village, Island of Aght'amar in Lake Van, Turkey 921 CE Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY; Armenian Educational Council
Aght'amar: Holy Cross Cathedral
St. Xac' Church; Island of Alt'amar; St. Khatch Church; Island of Akht'amar; Church of the Holy Cross of Aghtamar; Sourp Khatch
Manuel the architect
Monasteries
Churches
Islands
Medieval Armenian
Bas-reliefs
Religious buildings
The Church of the Holy Cross (Sourp Khatch) on the Island of Aghtamar is the only surviving medieval Armenian Church which has most of its frescos and exterior sculpture still visible. Over a period of one thousand years various structures have been added to the church of Aght'amar. Oldest among these later structures is a small vaulted church built in 1298 by Catholicos Step'anos to the northeast of the Holy Cross church. At a later date a vaulted rectangular porch was attached to it's west facade. In the cemetry to the east of the Holy Cross church are a number of khach'k'ars ("cross stones"). The entire structure is designed as a centrally planned and domed cruciform church based on buildings of the type of Hrip'sime. There was also a gavit (zhamadoun) built in 1763 on the western facade of the church; this is a square space covered by a series of crossed vaulted arches. A bell tower doorway was built in the 19th century on the eastern facade. A few meters from the complex, towards the south east, there was a small chapel, now partly destroyed.
King Gagik I
Catholikos Stephen III ; Catholikos Zaccaria
1293 CE; 1763 CE
1982
Images
Digital
Tiff; Jpeg2000
Pink sandstone
A-2009
Parsegian, V.L.. Armenian Architecture (Zug, Switzerland; IDC, 1980)
Armenian
Gevashis village, Island of Aght'amar in Lake Van, Turkey
921 CE
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY; Armenian Educational Council