Saint Sargis Church of Ashtarak
Encyclopedia
The church of Saint Sargis is located at the edge of a gorge opposite the town of Ashtarak
in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia
. It is situated at an attractive point at a promontory overlooking the gorge and offers a fine view to the three churches of Tsiranavor
, Spitakavor
, and Karmravor. Located in the center of town nearby is also the church of S. Mariane
. Directly below Saint Sargis in the gorge is a unique bridge built in 1664. A path leads down from the church into the gorge and across the bridge which leads to the town.
central-plan supposedly built in the 19th century on an old foundation. A single drum
and umbrella type dome
rest on top of the church. Four small windows are located around the drum and upon the walls directly below at each of the four sides of the church. The interior stone has not been changed, yet the exterior façades have had extensive restoration work done recently. It looks to be a new church, but a small number of the older original stones carved with decorative relief and inscriptions (replaced with new stone and now sitting next to the foundation of the building) show its age to be much older.
Ashtarak
Ashtarak is an industrial city in Armenia, on the left bank of Kasagh River along the gorge, approximately 20 km north-west of the capital Yerevan, at a height of 1110 meters above sea level. It is the administrative capital of Aragatsotn province...
in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. It is situated at an attractive point at a promontory overlooking the gorge and offers a fine view to the three churches of Tsiranavor
Tsiranavor Church of Ashtarak
The church of Tsiranavor is located at the edge of a gorge in the town of Ashtarak in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. It may be seen across the gorge from the church of Surb Sarkis, but is easiest reached via the streets of the neighborhood that it sits within...
, Spitakavor
Spitakavor Church of Ashtarak
The church of Spitakavor is located at the edge of a gorge in the town of Ashtarak in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. It may be seen across the gorge from the church of Surb Sarkis, but is easiest reached via the streets of the neighborhood that it sits within...
, and Karmravor. Located in the center of town nearby is also the church of S. Mariane
Saint Mariane Church of Ashtarak
The church of Saint Mariane is centrally located in the town of Ashtarak in the Aragatsotn province of Armenia. Nearby are the churches of Karmravor , Spitakavor, Tsiranavor, and Surb Sarkis. There is also a unique bridge of 1664 in the gorge nearby. S. Mariane may be clearly seen from across...
. Directly below Saint Sargis in the gorge is a unique bridge built in 1664. A path leads down from the church into the gorge and across the bridge which leads to the town.
Architecture
S. Sargis has a small cruciformCruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
central-plan supposedly built in the 19th century on an old foundation. A single drum
Tholobate
A tholobate or drum, in architecture, is the upright part of a building on which a dome is raised. It is generally in the shape of a cylinder or a polygonal prism....
and umbrella type dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
rest on top of the church. Four small windows are located around the drum and upon the walls directly below at each of the four sides of the church. The interior stone has not been changed, yet the exterior façades have had extensive restoration work done recently. It looks to be a new church, but a small number of the older original stones carved with decorative relief and inscriptions (replaced with new stone and now sitting next to the foundation of the building) show its age to be much older.