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Armenia |
Saint Marianeh church was
built in 1271 and has proportions peculiar to the given period of
its construction. It has a rectangular plan from the exterior and
a cruciform central-plan from the interior, and two-tiered
side-chapels join the apse from the western and eastern sides. Of
particular interest is the church's drum that is circular from
the interior and decahedral from the exterior. A tall dome rests
on top. Façades of the church, drum, and dome are simply adorned
with cruciform decorations around the rectangular windows. The
main portal into the structure is at the southern wall, with a
belfry over this wing built in 1838. Another portal leads into
the church from the western wall. Adjacent to the western wing of
the church, is an unfinished 20th century basilica with the
remainders of a fortified wall built of unprocessed blocks of
basalt.
Click on the picture to have a larger
version. Panoramic pix's are available
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