Armenian Church Architecture

This lecture provides an overview of Armenian Church architecture. It sets the architectural tradition within the landscape and history of the Armenian plateau. Armenian churches flourished in the medieval period and developed a distinctive construction method, floor plan, and decorative style. Each example is considered in the context of regional and global architectural currents, including Byzantine and Iranian. The lecture also considers the legacy of medieval Armenian architecture on later building styles, as well as later stages of Armenian architecture. Bringing the narrative to the contemporary period, the lecture considers the revival of medieval Armenian forms in the diaspora, including a community church in New York. The final section explores the divergent ways in which medieval Armenian architecture has been turned into cultural heritage and included in preservation practices, in the case of three modern states that comprise Armenian monuments on their territory: the Republic of Armenia, Iran, and Turkey.