Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

The seventh-century rotunda church of the guardian angels near Ejmiacin is one of the great achievements of early medieval Armenian architecture. Built 643–52 by Catholicos Nerses III, the Builder, a Byzantine sympathizer, it was in ruins by the tenth century, probably because of an earthquake, but its fame inspired later developments in Armenian church building. Its influence is seen in the eleventh-century church of St Gregory at ANI. It was constructed in three tiers to a height of 45 metres and was 33.75 metres in diameter, with richly ornamented capitals and reliefs, including depictions of the masons working on it, with an inscription in Greek. According to one Armenian chronicler, Emperor Constans II attended the cathedral's consecration in 652. ( 1978 ), Armenian Art . London : Thames & Hudson . ... log in or subscribe to read full text