Katoghike Tsiranavor Church of Avan (Cathedral Church of the Holy Mother of God, Avan) is the oldest church known that falls within the municipal boundaries of contemporary Yerevan. It is located in the Avan district in the east of the city, north of the road leading to Geghard and Garni. The building is a centrally-planned with a quatre-lobed interior, but is square on the outside. It dates to the end of the sixth century and, as with Zvartnots and Yereruyk, it stands on a stepped platform - although in this case there are only 2 steps. The church was later renamed Surb Hovhannes (St. John) and today is a ruin missing the upper portion of the building with only one of the 4 smaller linking conches that joined the 4 main lobes of the building still extant. The site is concealed down a narrow alleyway and stands on a small patch of waste ground surrounded by domestic buildings and a small auto repair business making it exceedingly difficult to find.
Creator
Emma Loosley
Date of Visit
11th August 2017
Contributor
Emma Loosley
Peter Leeming
Rights
Metadata and all media released under Creative Commons
unless otherwise indicated
Type
Architecture
Tags
Architecture, Armenia, Avan, C6th, Cathedral, Centrally-Planned, Church, Tsiranavor, Yerevan
Collection
Comparative Armenian Ecclesiastical Monuments
Citation
Emma Loosley, “Tsiranavor, Avan, Yerevan,” Architecture and Asceticism, accessed April 16, 2024, https://architectureandasceticism.exeter.ac.uk/items/show/847.