Description of the attraction
The Zvartnots Temple is the brightest monument of Armenian architecture of the Middle Ages, located 5 km from Echmiadzin and about 10 km west of the city of Yerevan. This majestic temple was erected in the VII century. Like most of the ancient temples of Armenia, Zvartnots has survived to this day only in ruins. But still, he gives a vivid idea of his majestic beauty.
The construction of the temple took 20 years. Its construction was initiated by Catholicos Nerses III the Builder. The construction of the church was carried out by craftsmen from the ancient city of Dvin, who were invited by Nerses III himself.
The temple stood for about 300 years and in about 930 it was destroyed by a powerful earthquake. Over time, a large hill formed on the site of the Zvartnots temple, where you could see the remains of four pylons. In the twentieth century. archaeological excavations began at this site. In 1901-1907. under the leadership of the architect T. Toramanyan, the ruins of an ancient temple were removed from under the age-old layer of earth, after which his project was presented.
The Zvartnots temple was a three-tiered temple round at the base. The height of the temple building was 49 m. The church stood on a platform surrounded by a partially preserved stepped pedestal. The church was supported by four powerful 20-meter columns. The second tier of the temple was through on three sides, and its walls rested on six large columns. The entire composition was completed by a tall multifaceted dome. The church had five entrances.
The walls of the church were decorated with rich mosaics and stone carvings depicting vines, pomegranate branches and geometrical designs of the finest workmanship. Among the works of stone-carving masters, the portrait gallery of sculptural half-length images of people deserves special attention.
Today, an archaeological museum and a reserve has been opened on the territory of the Zvartnots temple, where you can see models-variants of the reconstruction of the church, fragments of an ancient structure, as well as well-preserved massive stone slabs, on which various figures, sundials, bunches of grapes and pomegranates are carved.
