Origin from 1001
The cathedral of Ani, capital of the Bagratid Armenian kingdom, completed in 1001 under King Gagik I, and the most famous survivor among the dense concentration of Armenian ecclesiastical architecture that earned the city its name "city of a thousand and one churches." Built of the local volcanic tuff in the distinctive Armenian style of pointed arches and a drum-supported conical dome, it stood as the seat of the Armenian Catholicosate for part of the eleventh century before Byzantine annexation in 1045 and the Seljuk sack of 1064 began the city's long decline. The building survives roofless but largely standing amid the ruins of Ani, now on the Turkish side of the Turkey-Armenia border.
Facts
Geography
LatitudeApproximate reference point, rounded to one decimal place; this marks the site's general location for a map, not a survey-grade or precise boundary measurement. LongitudeApproximate reference point, rounded to one decimal place; this marks the site's general location for a map, not a survey-grade or precise boundary measurement. Status
Status TodayRuin or archaeological site; the cult has ceased 1 Survives structurally but roofless and disused; the wider site of Ani has stood abandoned since the medieval period. UNESCO World HeritageInscribed on the World Heritage List 2 Inscribed as part of the archaeological site of Ani, UNESCO World Heritage Site, 2016. Attributions
TraditionArmenian Apostolic Christianity 1 Site
Type of SiteChurch, cathedral or chapel 1 Type of Site DetailArmenian cathedral completed 1001 at Ani, seat of the Armenian Catholicosate for part of the eleventh century, surviving roofless amid the ruined "city of a thousand and one churches." 2 Origins
Origin Period CountryTurkey (built under the Armenian Bagratid kingdom) 1 RegionEastern Anatolia / South Caucasus borderlands 1 Location
Connections
Associated With
Ani, Cities The most famous survivor of the "thousand and one churches" that gave the city its name, completed in 1001.
Source The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern TimesRichard G. Hovannisian (ed.)
Belongs to Tradition
Source The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern TimesRichard G. Hovannisian (ed.)
Source The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern TimesRichard G. Hovannisian (ed.)
Contained In
Its own text: the building "survives roofless but largely standing amid the ruins of Ani, now on the Turkish side of the Turkey-Armenia border."
Source The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern TimesRichard G. Hovannisian (ed.)
Originated In
Source The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern TimesRichard G. Hovannisian (ed.)
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Armenia, located there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Turkey, located there.
Sources
1. The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times
Richard G. Hovannisian (ed.), St. Martin's Press, 1997Originated In: Turkey, Stored country property on this entity, cited to this source: Turkey (built under the Armenian Bagratid kingdom)View the Source 2. Encyclopaedia Britannica (online academic reference)
Encyclopaedia Britannica editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 2024View the Source 3. Wikidata: Cathedral of Ani
Wikidata Q196161, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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