Yererouk
Yereruyk | |
---|---|
The ruins of Yererouk Basilica | |
Shown within Armenia | |
Basic information | |
Location |
Anipemza, Shirak Province, Armenia |
Geographic coordinates | 40°26′23″N 43°36′33″E / 40.439722°N 43.609167°ECoordinates: 40°26′23″N 43°36′33″E / 40.439722°N 43.609167°E |
Affiliation | Armenian Apostolic Church |
Province | Shirak |
Status | Ruined |
Architectural description | |
Architectural type | Basilica |
Architectural style | Armenian |
Completed | 4th-5th centuries |
Specifications | |
Height (max) | 100 feet 0 inches (30.48 m) |
Yererouk Basilica (Armenian: Երերույքի տաճար, Yereruyki tachar), also Yereruyk or Ererouk, is a 4th or 5th century Armenian church near the village of Anipemza in the Shirak Province of Armenia, 8 km southeast of the ancient city of Ani in Turkey.
Because the basilica of Yererouk is one of the earliest surviving Christian monuments in Armenia, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on August 25, 1995 in the Cultural category.[1] The basilica is believed to be from the early 5th century — perhaps late 4th century.[2]
Etymology and history
Yererouk means quivering in the Armenian language. According to popular tradition, the name of the temple was derived from its unique architectural solution of the structure which seems quivering on its 6 columns for viewers from a distance.
Yererouk is one of the earliest examples of the Armenian church architecture and one of the greatest structures of the early medieval ages that partly survived. According to Toros Toramanian, Yererouk is a clear and perhaps the earliest example of the basilica style of the Armenian church buildings that are constructed on pillars.[3] The church was surrounded with thick walls. From the surrounding buildings, underground rooms and the water reservoir, it becomes clear that the church was the centre of a developed residential community.
Yererouk dates back to the 4th and 5th centuries. It is located in the Shirak canton of the Ayrarat province of Ancient Armenia. Not much is known about the founders of the basilica. However, the church was renovated during the 11th century by the efforts of King Hovhannes-Smbat's wife.
Gallery
References
- ↑ The basilica and archaeological site of Yererouk (#), UNESCO World Heritage Centre, retrieved 2009-03-18
- ↑ Ererouk, Armenian Studies Program at California State University, Fresno, retrieved 2009-03-18
- ↑ Armen, Garbis (1992), An Architecture of Survival, p. 71, ISBN 0-9695988-0-7
External links
- Armenian Architectural Studies
- The World Heritage Newsletter, No. 11, June 1996 Published by The World Heritage Center, UNESCO, Retrieved on 2009-02-19.
- Rensselaer Digital Collections: Photos of Yererouk
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yererouk. |
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