Zvartnots Cathedral Ruins

The ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral lie near the town of Etchmiadzin and Zvartnots airport in Armavir Province, Armenia, about 15 km west of Yerevan. The cathedral was built in the 640s to 650s by the Catholicos Nerses III the Builder, who gave it the name Zvartnots, meaning celestial angels. It was dedicated to Saint Gregory the Illuminator and was among the most ambitious churches of early medieval Armenia, built on a round, three-tiered plan with a tetraconch interior, four apses around a central space, and an estimated height of about 45 metres. Its architecture is believed to have influenced later Armenian and Byzantine churches. The cathedral stood for about three centuries before collapsing, probably in the 10th century, possibly due to an earthquake. It was later buried and forgotten until excavations in 1900 to 1907 by the architect Toros Toramanian uncovered its foundations. Further work in the Soviet period reconstructed parts of the plinth and a few columns. Today the visible remains include the circular platform, bases of the columns, carved capitals with eagle motifs, a reconstructed section of the pillars, and a foundation of the palace of the Catholicos, as well as wine presses. The museum on site displays carved stones and a model of the building. Zvartnots is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, together with the churches of Etchmiadzin, as an example of the development of Armenian church architecture. The site is open air, with explanatory panels, and the reconstruction of the original form is based on scholarly studies. A visit usually takes about 45 minutes, and the site offers views of Mount Ararat on clear days. It is often combined with Etchmiadzin Cathedral in the same trip.