Zvartnots is a centrally-planned cathedral in Armavir Province that was built in the seventh century by Catholicos Nerses III. Today it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and it remains one of the most significant early Christian monuments in Armenia. From the early twentieth century onwards it has been explored in archaeological excavations and a number of archaeologists, art historians and architects have attempted to reconstruct the original form of the building from the extant architectural details. This website is not the place to rehearse the various arguments relating to the site, but a clear and convincing summary of this history and an up-to-date interpretation of the material is offered by Christina Maranci in Vigilant Powers: Three Churches of Early Medieval Armenia, Brepols; Turnhout, 2015. This entry is obviously not the place to detail this complex historiographical tradition, but it is hoped that specialists and non-specialists alike may find some of the attached images useful and/or interesting.
Creator
Emma Loosley
Date of Visit
9th August 2017
Contributor
Emma Loosley
Rights
Metadata and all media released under Creative Commons
unless otherwise indicated
Type
Architecture
Tags
Archaeological Excavation, Architecture, Armenia, C7th, Centrally-Planned, Church, Nerses III, UNESCO, Zvartnots
Collection
Comparative Armenian Ecclesiastical Monuments
Citation
Emma Loosley, “Zvartnots,” Architecture and Asceticism, accessed April 18, 2024, https://architectureandasceticism.exeter.ac.uk/items/show/846.