Cathedral of Ani
Encyclopedia
Trdat the Architect
Trdat the Architect was the chief architect of the Bagratuni kings of Armenia, whose 10th century monuments have been argued to be the forerunners of Gothic architecture which came to Europe several centuries later....
in the ruined ancient Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
capital of Ani
Ani
Ani is a ruined and uninhabited medieval Armenian city-site situated in the Turkish province of Kars, near the border with Armenia. It was once the capital of a medieval Armenian kingdom that covered much of present day Armenia and eastern Turkey...
, located in what is now the extreme eastern tip of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, on the border with modern Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. It offers an example of a domed cruciform church within a rectangular plan.
The Cathedral of Ani is 100 feet(30,5 meter) long and 65 feet(19,8 meter) wide.
The Catholicosate was relocated to the Arkina district
Arkina district
Arkina district was the part of the medieval Armenian city of Ani where, in 990, Trdat the Architect completed the building of the Mother Cathedral of Ani....
, in the suburbs of Ani, and in 990, the talented architect Trdat completed the building of the Catholicosal palace and the Mother Cathedral of Ani. It was founded by the order of King Smbat II
Smbat II
Smbat II King of Armenia , son of Ashot III and ruled from Ani. He fortified the city and began the construction of the Cathedral of Ani. Smbat II succeeded to Ashot III, and continued his father’s work. He ordered the construction of a wall around the city of Ani and built towers and...
and was completed under the patronage of the wife of King Gagik I
Gagik I of Armenia
Gagik I was king of the Bagratuni Kingdom of Armenia. He succeeded his brother Smbat II the Conqueror . Armenia reached its zenith during the reign of Gagik.-Rule:...
, Queen Katranide'. The cathedral was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. By its high art composition the Cathedral of Ani
Ani
Ani is a ruined and uninhabited medieval Armenian city-site situated in the Turkish province of Kars, near the border with Armenia. It was once the capital of a medieval Armenian kingdom that covered much of present day Armenia and eastern Turkey...
became one of the architectural masterpieces of Armenia.
Some Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an historians of architecture, beginning with Josef Strzygowski
Josef Strzygowski
Josef Strzygowski was a German art historian known for his theory on the influence of Early Christian Armenian architecture on the early Medieval architecture of Europe, outlined in his book, Die Baukunst der Armenier und Europa...
, believe that the volume composition of the interior elements served to influence the development of European Gothic architecture in the 12th - 14th centuries. Following the Seljuk Turkish victories in eastern Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
, Sultan Alp Arslan
Alp Arslan
Alp Arslan was the third sultan of the Seljuq dynasty and great-grandson of Seljuk, the eponymous founder of the dynasty...
in 1064 took down the crosses from the cathedral after entering the city; in 1071 it was turned into a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
.
On September 19, 2010, the Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross at Lake Van
Lake Van
Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey, located in the far east of the country in Van district. It is a saline and soda lake, receiving water from numerous small streams that descend from the surrounding mountains. Lake Van is one of the world's largest endorheic lakes . The original outlet from...
saw its first Christian mass for 95 years. A group of Turkish nationalists responded on October 1, 2010 by gathering at the Cathedral of Ani to say Muslim prayers. The prayers were lead by Devlet Bahçeli
Devlet Bahçeli
Devlet Bahçeli is a Turkish politician and has been the second chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party since 6 July 1997....
, head of the Nationalist Movement Party
Nationalist Movement Party
The Nationalist Movement Party , is a far-right political party in Turkey.In the 2002 general elections, the party had lost its 129 seats as it had won only 8.34% of the national vote...
.