Karmravor Church

Karmravor Church
Karmravor Church
	The church in October 2014
Religion
Affiliation	Armenian Apostolic Church
Location
Location	Ashtarak, Aragatsotn Province, Armenia
	Shown within Armenia Karmravor Church (Aragatsotn)
Geographic coordinates	40°17′59″N 44°21′56″E / 40.299628°N 44.365417°E
Architecture
Type	Small cruciform central-plan
Style	Armenian
Completed	7th century
Dome(s)	1

Karmravor (Armenian: Կարմրավոր եկեղեցի; meaning "reddish" because of the color of its dome), also known as the Church of Holy Mother of God (Սուրբ Աստվածածին, Surb Astvatsatsin) is a 7th-century Armenian Apostolic church in the town of Ashtarak in the Aragatsotn Province.

Architecture

Plan of Karmaravor church

Surp Astvatsatsin is a small building with a cruciform central-plan and a dome with an octagonal drum and a Byzantine-style red tile roof. It measures only 19 feet 7 inches by 24 feet 6 inches, and is simply decorated with geometric and foliage patterns around the eaves and cornices. The apse is horseshoe shaped. Many of the original tiles on the roof which were laid on mortar have remained intact, and the church has had only some minor restoration during the 1950s.

According to Thierry, Surp Astvatsatsin marks a turning point in Armenian architecture, with its plan in the shape of a cross with a single dome setting a style that would be repeated over the centuries in spite of other influences.^[1]^{[clarification needed]} Other churches of a similar style attributed to the 6th or 7th century are St. Marine of Artik, Lmbatavank, St. Astvatsatsin of Talin, and St. Astvatsatsin of Voskepar.