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Photo Gallery: Evolution of Gandzasar’s Architectural Forms

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Armenian Cathedral of St. Cross of the Akhtamar Island (Lake Van).
Bas-reliefs of the famous Armenian Cathedral of St. Cross of the Akhtamar Island (Lake Van) are often compared with Gandzasar’s ornamental designs. The Cathedral of St. Cross was built in 915-921.
The temple of Amberd, Armenia.
The temple of Amberd (built in 1026) in Armenia belongs to a group of early churches whose umbrella-shaped roof design was used in Gandzasar.
Chapel of the Holy Mother of God in Areni (built in 1321) with Gandzasar-style umbrella-shaped roof.
Chapel of the Holy Mother of God in Areni (built in 1321) with Gandzasar-style umbrella-shaped roof.
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist of the Hovhannavank Monastery.
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist of the Hovhannavank Monastery, featuring a “Gandzasar-style” umbrella-shaped roof on its dome and other details characteristic of Gandzasar’s architecture. Hovhannavank is located 250 miles south-west of Gandzasar (in the Republic of Armenia). Its main church was built in 1221, 11 years before the completion Gandzasar’s Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.
Dome of the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God.
Dome of the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God (1201), with its “Gandzasar-style” umbrella-shaped roof. The Harichavank Monastery, Province of Shirak, Republic of Armenia.
Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God of the Harichavank Monastery.
Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God of the Harichavank Monastery, with a “Gandzasar-style” umbrella-shaped roof on the dome and other key details that resemble Gandzasar. Located 300 miles west of Gandzasar, Harichavank’s Cathedral was built in 1201, 37 years before the completion of Gandzasar’s Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.
The Harichavank Monastery in the Province of Shirak, Republic of Armenia.
The Harichavank Monastery in the Province of Shirak, Republic of Armenia. Harichavank’s Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God, whose dome features a “Gandzasar-style” umbrella-shaped roof, was built 37 years before the completion of Gandzasar’s Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.
The Kecharis Monastery in the Province of Kotayk the Republic of Armenia.
The Kecharis Monastery in the Province of Kotayk the Republic of Armenia. The monastery suffered from the Mongol invasion and was restored by Hasan Jalal Vahtangian, the founder of Gandzasar’s Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, in 1248.
Marmashen Monastery, in Armenia’s western Province of Shirak.
Church of St. Stephanos of the Marmashen Monastery (completed in 1029), in Armenia’s western Province of Shirak, belongs to a group of early edifices whose unique-to-Armenia umbrella-shaped roof design was used in Gandzasar and Armenia’s other monastic ensembles.
Cathedral in St. Stephanos
The architectural character of the Cathedral in St. Stephanos, a late medieval Armenian monastery in northern Iran, was influenced by Gandzasar’s umbrella-shaped cap and its ornamental features.
The dome of the Cathedral in St. Stephanos, a late medieval Armenian monastery in northern Iran.
The dome of the Cathedral in St. Stephanos, a late medieval Armenian monastery in northern Iran, featuring unique-to-Armenia umbrella-shaped roof that was used in Gandzasar several centuries before.