RIHA Journal 0143 | 30 November 2016 The Church of Surb Prkich in Ani (1035) Part 1: History and Historio ra!"y # Ar$"ite$tural Plan # %&$avations o' 2012 and (tartin o' )onservation Armen Kazaryan, İsmail !a"uz Özkaya an$ Alin Pontio&lu Abs%rac% *"is is t"e +rst arti$le o' a !ro,e$ted series o' re!orts $on$ernin t"e ar$"ite$ture and $onservation o' t"e )"ur$" o' t"e Redeemer -(urb Pr.i$"/ in t"e medieval Armenian $a!ital o' Ani in t"e !resent0day *ur.is" !rovin$e o' 1ars2 3ated to 1035, t"is !olycon$" $"ur$" stands as a beauti'ul exam!le o' t"e metro!olitan s$"ool5 6"i$" was es!e$ially dedi$ated to inter!retin t"e ar$"ite$tural 'orms and !rin$i!les o' )lassi$al anti7uity2 *"e $"ur$" "as survived bot" medieval re$onstru$tions and a subse7uent restoration in 1912, as well as remained extant wit"in t"e ruins o' Ani des!ite its western "al' !reserved in !oor $ondition2 *"e aut"ors5 two *ur.is" ar$"ite$ts and a Russian ar$"ite$tural "istorian "ave analyzed t"e "istori$al data5 "istorio ra!"y and ar$"ite$tural !lan o' (urb Pr.i$" and !resent "ere t"e results o' $leanin and ar$"eolo i$al e&$avations at t"e site5 as 6ell as o' t"e initiation o' t"e monument’s stabili9ation and conservation pro ram5 be un in 2012. Con%en%s Pre'a$e Historio ra!"y o' t"e ar$"ite$ture o' Surb Pr.i$" and its ins$ri!tions ;rie' overview o' t"e e&$avations and constru$tive wor.s by Marr’s e&!edition 3ama e and t"e condition o' t"e monument in t"e most re$ent de$ades =or. be un by t"e World Monuments Fund (=<>) and t"e Ministry o' Culture and *ourism o' Tur.ey (Mo)?*/ Analysis o' t"e ar$"ite$tural plan o' t"e C"ur$" o' Surb Pr.i$" in Ani Prefa$e (Armen Ka9aryan and Yavu9 Ö9.aya/ [1] *"e )"ur$" o' t"e Redeemer -(urb Pr.i$"/ is one o' t"e most interestin and least0 investi ated monuments o' t"e 'amous medieval town o' Ani5 in t"e !resent0day *ur.is" !rovin$e o' 1ars2 It was ere$ted at t"e time o' t"e Douris"in o' Ani as an Armenian $a!ital in t"e late !eriod o' t"e ;a ratid rule (96101045). *"e $"ur$"’s ruins are lo$ated 305 meters to t"e eastE nort"0east 'rom Ani $at"edral5 t"e lar est and most dominant stru$ture o' Ani5 built in t"e last 7uarter o' t"e 10t" $entury2 *"e !ositionin o' t"ese two master!ie$es so $lose to one anot"er is undoubtedly an ar ument for Surb Pr.i$"’s im!ortan$e in t"e city s!a$e (Fi . 1). RIHA Journal 0143 | 30 November 2016 1 )"ur$" o' (urb Prki$" (in t"e 'ore round) and )at"edral5 Ani5 vie6 'rom t"e %ast5 2004 -!"oto ra!" !rovided by A2 1a9aryan/ [2] A$$ordin to ins$ri!tions (see belo6/5 t"e $"ur$" was built in 1035 to "ouse a 'ra ment o' t"e *rue )ross5 under orders 'rom Prin$e A!l "ari! Pa"lavuni2 *"e elevent" $entury was a time o' extensive buildin a$tivity not only in Ani5 but also more broadly in t"e area o' t"e town’s surroundin monasteries2 3urin t"e 1020030s5 ("a"ins"a" (Kin o' 1in s/ Hovhannes (mbat (r2 1017-1041) and ot"er !ower'ul !rin$es built im!ressive edi+$es at t"e Horomos5 <armas"en5 1"ts.on. and ;a nayr monasteries21 >rom t"e !oint o' vie6 o' art "istory, t"e +rst 'orty years o' t"e elevent" $entury were $"ara$teri9ed by t"e reatest Douris"in o' t"e Ani s$"ool o' Armenian ar$"ite$ture2 [3] *"e )"ur$" o' (urb Pr.i$" in !arti$ular deserves a $om!re"ensive revie62 Rene6ed interest in its ar$"ite$ture $oin$ides 6it" our initiation o' ar$"eolo i$al and $onservation wor. at t"e site2 >or t"is reason 6e resolved to !ublis" t"e 'ollowin overvie65 6"i$" re!resents t"e $umulative results o' bot" !ra$ti$al a$tivity and t"eoreti$al analysis2 >urt"ermore5 be$ause t"e !reservation o' t"e monument remains on oin 5 we de$ided to !ut 'ort" a series o' arti$les as t"e !ro,e$t !ro resses and ne6 in'ormation comes to li "t. T"is arti$le forms t"e frst re!ort o' our study2 Historio ra!"y o' the ar$"ite$ture o' (urb Pr.i$" and its ins$riptions (Armen Ka9aryan/ [4] *"e "istory o' study o' t"e )"ur$" o' (urb Pr.i$" (as it is named in ins$ri!tions on t"e monument/ or Amena!r.i$" (as it is $alled by t"e twel't"0$entury $"roni$ler (amuel Anetsi/ is inse!arable 'rom investi ations o' t"e ar$"ite$ture o' Ani and 1 Ar$"itettura armena dal 7uarto al diciannovesimo secolo5 ed2 Paolo )uneo5 con testi e contributi di *2 ;re$$ia >ratado$$"i5 <2 Hasrat:yan5 <2 A2 Gala )omneno and A2 Harian5 2 vols.5 Rome 18II5 63I-6415 646-64I5 6F3-6F8J 1aren <atevosyan5 KLM0NMOPQM RPSTUVWXPL YZ[O B*"e Pa es 'rom t"e History o' Ani0("ira.C5 @erevan 20105 4I-1485 182-188J Armen 1a9aryan5 \*"e Ar$"itecture o' Horomos <onastery\5 in: Horomos <onastery: Art and History5 ed2 %2 ]ardanyan5 Paris 20145 44-2042 RIHA Journal 0143 | 30 November 2016 medieval Armenian ar$"ite$ture o' t"e ;a ratid and Ha."arid !eriods -8t"#14t" $enturies/ more enerally2 *"ese early !ubli$ations 'orm t"e 'oundation 'or t"e 'ollo6in study2 In addition to a$ademi$ literature5 more mainstream writin 5 'or exam!le travel notes or belles0lettres5 is es!e$ially interestin 'or our resear$"2 *"ese enres inDuen$ed !ubli$ !er$e!tion5 and motivated s$ienti+$ e&!editions and resear$" into medieval Armenia2 ($"olars"i! 'rom t"e +rst !art o' t"e twentiet" $entury, su$" as t"at o' Ni.olay <arr2 (186501934) and Geo (a$tually Ara.el ;aba."anyan5 18600 1932)35 as well as t"at o' our $ontem!oraries54 !reserves im!ortant analyses o' wor.s and im!ressions o' t"e +rst modern visitors to Ani # t"e mon.s and travelers o' t"e nineteent" century2 B4C Geo writes o' t"ese !ioneers to Ani5 6"ose names were almost un.nown2 *wo Armenian mon.s5 *er01"a$"atur and *er0Hovan5 visited t"e site on <ay 17, 1804, and $ounted almost 'orty $"ur$"es5 too. note o' si ni+$ant ins$ri!tions t"ere5 and trans$ribed t"ese ins$ri!tions 'rom ea$" $"ur$"5 in$ludin t"e )at"edral and t"e )"ur$" o' t"e Redeemer -(urb Pr.i$" or Amena!r.i$"/24 [6] However5 Ani ained international attention only a'ter a visit by %n lis" traveler (ir Robert 1er Porter in 1817 6"o5 as Geo said5 \dedi$ated to Ani only two to t"ree !a es5 but !er'e$t !a es^\26 *"is \!roud ;ritis"5 son o' t"e edu$ated and !ro ressive nation\F des$ribes his im!ression o' Ani as follows: \*"e 'art"er I went5 and t"e $loser I examined t"e remains o' t"is vast $a!ital5 t"e reater was my admiration o' its +rm and +nis"ed masonry2 In s"ort5 t"e masterly wor.mans"i! o' t"e $a!itals o' !illars5 t"e ni$e $arvin s o' t"e intri$ate ornaments5 and arabes7ue 'rie9es5 sur!assed any t"in o' t"e .ind I "ad ever seen5 6"et"er abroad, or in t"e most celebrated cat"edrals o' En land2\I 2 Ni.olay <arr5 _`a2 b`ac`de afghiae jhihkd и idflhmlи `d nofgo jhihkapd [Ani2 Recorded History o' t"e )ity and t"e %&$avations on t"e Place o' t"e Ancient (ettlementC5 <osco6EGenin rad 18345 1-45 8-122 3 Geo5 KLM: qRPrUOUVWXUVLL[O5 sMtPSPQL[O5 PLuPvL UV TLPuPvw [Ani2 Im!ressions, <emories, in >ormer *imes and Herea'terC5 @erevan 18635 22-6F2 *"is boo. is intended rat"er 'or a broad readershi!J it is use'ul as it conveys t"e !ubli$ mood o' Armenians durin t"e nineteent" century and t"eir attitude to6ards t"eir o6n "istorical monuments. 4 (tudies 6ritten in xerman5 Russian5 %n lish and >ren$" 6ere analy9ed in: )"ristina <aranci5 \%arly %uro!ean *ravelers and *"eir )ontributions to t"e (tudy o' Armenian Ar$"itecture\5 in: Journal o' t"e (ociety 'or Armenian (tudies5 105 20005 F-2IJ Jasmin Dum0*ra ut5 \%uro!eys Goo. u!on Ani: xerman0Gan ua e *ravel Accounts o' t"e 18t" century\5 in: International )on'erence \Ani as Political and )ivili9ational )entre o' <edieval Armenia\ -@erevan5 November 14-1F5 2011/5 )ollection o' !a!ers, @erevan 20125 660I1J Pavel )"obanyan (ed2/5 zSPO P{|XUVOL[Ow KLMM TP}ML -~0~I~ դդ/ B>orei n (ources on Ani -~0~I~ )enturies)], @erevan 2011J xarni.