Church of the Virgin Mary

Church of the Virgin Mary

The Church of the Virgin Mary was built by Nikolai Markof in the year 1324 (solar Egira) and until 1349 was the main office and place of residence of the most important Armenian bishops. The layout of the church is influenced by the architecture of an Armenian church from the 7-10th centuries AD This building was built on a platform measuring 8/19 × 45/32 meters in an area of ​​over 550 square meters using the colored basalt. ash. To enter the church there are stairs to the west of the platform and two north and south "arms" facing three entrances. Even the plant both from the outside and from the inside has the appearance of a cross and according to the tradition of the Armenian churches, its pulpit is located in the part that faces east. The church has a twelve-sided main dome with twelve skylights above the chapel and a bell tower dome with six columns on the west side. The main dome was built under the influence of Byzantine architecture. The main entrance, located on the west side of the building, has a portal in the architectural style of the Armenian churches of the 4-5 centuries AD. In the western side entrance, there are two small rooms and this part has the appearance of a corridor that gives access to the chapel and connects to the west side of the church. In the small room to the north there is an access with a staircase to reach the iwān and under the small room to the south there is a crypt.

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