18 Items
Church of St Gregory the Abughamrents
A small but well preserved church on the western edge of the plateau the city occupied. Believed to be late tenth century and to have been commissioned by Prince Grigor Pahlavuni. Interior used to be frescoed but was later whitewashed.
Church of St. Gregory of Tigran Honents
An inscription on the Eastern wall of the church tells us that the church was built by a wealthy merchant, Tigran Honents, in 1215 AD. At the time Ani was under Georgian control and the church is believed to have been Georgian orthodox originally with the impressive and well preserved frescos within speculated as having been painted by Georgian artists.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Armenian, C13th, Church, Fresco, Georgian, Inscription, Turkey
Church of the Redeemer
Inscriptions on the outside of the church reveal it was built in the 11th century to house a piece of the True Cross that had been brought back as a gift from Constantinople. This substantial church was largely intact until 1957 when, during a storm, half of the superstructure collapsed. The other half is incredibly unstable and access to it is now blocked for that reason. Scaffolding has been employed in what appears to be an attempt to hold the remaining half up.
Ani Cathedral
Inscriptions on its outer faces give us the origins of the cathedral. Construction work began in 989 AD and after a brief hiatus in work was completed in 1001 AD. The city was captured in 1064 by the Turks who converted the cathedral into a mosque. It was restored to its Christian usage in 1124.
It has been significantly damaged in recent years by the use of explosives at a nearby mine on the Armenian side of the border. As a result significant sections of the Cathedral are now being supported by metal brackets.
Traces of the frescos that covered the Cathedral can still be seen in the whitewashed apse.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Armenian, C10th-C11th, Cathedral, Church, Medieval, Turkey
General views of Ani and immediate surroundings
These are just general views of what remains of the city of Ani. These vistas of the city were taken from multiple vantage points around the city.
Type: Archaeological Site
Tags: Archaeology, Architecture, Armenian, Cathedral, Church, Fortifications, Georgian, Medieval, Mosque, Turkey
Aghtamar cemetery 
These are images of the headstones and inscriptions that litter the island of Aghtamar. Mostly they belong to the monks and occupants of the island that have lived there over the centuries. These do not mark the graves of those killed in 1915 dissolution and destruction of the monastery.
Type: Sculpture
Tags: Armenia, Armenian, Cathedral, Church, Grave, Inscription, Monastery, Turkey
Aghtamar monastery and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.
The Aghtamar monastery and cathedral that sit on Aghtamar island were built by Armenians in the 10th century AD. It existed as a monastic site and community until 1915 when the community was destroyed. By 1951 the whole site was abandoned, extensively vandalised and was set for demolition, fortunately it was saved. It has undergone extensive and somewhat damaging restoration in recent years often not sympathetic to the sites original construction. The carvings that adorn its outer walls are among the most fascinating aspects of the Cathedral.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Armenia, Armenian, C10th, Cathedral, Church, Monastery, Turkey
Egil
Egil is identified as Carcathiocerta, the former capital of the ancient Armenian kingdom of Sophene. The most impressive remains are on the citadel which lies high above the river Tigris on a plateau formed by the river.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Armenian, Byzantine, Citadel, Defensive Network, Fortifications, Late Antique, Roman, Turkey