Artik

Artik (Armenian Արթիկ ) is a city in the northwestern Armenian province of Shirak with around 17,000 inhabitants. In the 20th century, the second largest city of the province was expanded into an industrial site. The one with the end of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991 standstill in degradation of Tuff continues today on a smaller scale. From an art historical importance Artik is by two church ruins in the town center from the 5th and 7th centuries and especially by the outlying Church of Lmbatavank, which is dated to 600.

Location

Artik is in a hilly, grassy highlands to the north-western slopes of Mount Aragats. In the surrounding villages cattle is mainly operated. Fruit and vegetable production takes place only in home gardens, otherwise the landscape is beautiful and strauchlos.

The distance to the north-west provincial capital Gyumri is on the direct route via Horom 20 km. Both cities are connected for freight traffic through a branch line leading from Yerevan to Georgia Railway, which branches in Gyumri and southwest of Artik in Maralik ends. The next place Pemzaschen in this direction is five kilometers away. From there, a road branches off to the mountains for the traditional village Lernakert. To the east leads from Artik a road on the plateau above Tsaghkahovit up to 30 kilometers away, where it joins the north- south running between Ashtarak and Spitak highway. About two kilometers southeast of the center, the monastery Haritschawank is on the edge of a ravine, which extends to the city. There are regular minibus connections to Gyumri and the surrounding villages.

The area around Artik has been inhabited since pre-Christian times. In the plain of Tsaghakovit several Bronze Age settlements of the 2nd millennium BC, cave tombs of the 14th -9 were. Century and Urartian settlements of the 9th century BC excavated. In the 1970s Telemak Khachatryan found a necropolis with 640 Late Bronze Age tombs at Artik.

Cityscape

In the 2001 census, the population was 17 561, according to official statistics from January 2012, there are 17,384 inhabitants. From the south via Pemzaschen the main road crosses a vast area with apartment blocks and crumbling industrial plants from the socialist period. The city center is situated beyond a long bridge over the railway tracks. Go straight to the east the street ends in the central Freedom Square, where a monument to the memory of the Second World War stands. The Ankakhutyan road is the running from here to the north and south main street. To the southeast of the mountain, the Tonakanyan - road leads to a little over 100 meters to the two church ruins that are visible on the left side of the street between houses.

The grown as a living space for industrial workers in 1945 in the Soviet period the city has experienced a population decline with the economic collapse after the country's independence in 1991. Mostly the houses consist of uniform blocks, which are built of pink volcanic tufa, which is mined in the area. Only a few smaller houses in between dates from the 18th or 19th century. Those with the political changes drastically increased unemployment has fallen by today again operated to a lesser extent quarrying.

Mother of God Church

The smaller of the two church ruins is the Mother of God Church ( Surb Astvatsatsin ). It represents a connection between a cross-domed church and a three-aisled basilica with shortened side aisles in plan dar. According to different datings made ​​on the basis of stylistic features, the construction period before the Arab conquest in the 7th century, could have possibly located in the 5th or 6th century. The external dimensions are approximately 13 × 16 meters.

In the center is located in front of the semicircular apse of the main square room whose Outbound dome should have rested on the four inner wall corners. It is flanked to the north and south of narrower aisles, also with semicircular apses, which complete with its western end in line with the central space. In the east, the central apse projecting rectangular coated over the aisles beyond. The central nave to the west was covered by a barrel vault in the longitudinal direction, of which an obtained from the original two transverse arches testifies. Whether the aisles were vaulted by longitudinal or transverse tons, can no longer be determined. The south aisle has completely disappeared, otherwise the exterior walls are predominantly upright to the eaves.

Semi-circular apses in the outer west walls of the side aisles lead to the assumption that the west building was once laterally surrounded by porticoes. A ledge halfway up the north and south walls is interpreted in this sense as a support for the arch of the portico. An entrance was located in the western gable wall and another in the longitudinal wall of the north aisle. The existing architectural decoration is limited to an incised cross in a circle on the lintel of the narrow east window and an equally simple bas-relief above the west window which consists of parallel lines in a circle.

Sergiuskirche

For undated also Sergiuskirche ( Surb Sargis ), and George Church ( Surb Gevorg ), which is located a few meters to the west, it is believed an emergence in the second half of the 7th century. This is supported by similarities in the sculpture showing the Cathedral of Talin, which was built in the 660 years or more. The basic form of Sergiuskirche is a square, protruding from the side in the middle conchae. In the course of the 7th century, this Zentralbautyp was extended by increasing the dome diameter. The now missing dome rested on the eight inner wall corners, which form the transition between the square structure and the conches.

The oldest church of this historic and formally coherent structure is the St. John's Church ( Surb Hovanes ) in Mastara ( province Aragazotn ) from the second half of the 6th century. Your model ( " Mastara - type") followed in the 7th century except the Sergiuskirche the Mother of God Church in Woskepar ( Tavush province ) and Gregor church of the monastery Haritschawank. A further development, which probably took place mainly for static reasons, is the " Awan - Hripsime type " dar. In the Cathedral of Awan ( in a district of Yerevan ) and the St. Hripsime Church (of Echmiadzin ) is the floor plan by Outbuildings extended in all four corners of a square external structure, which is better able to absorb the horizontal forces of the shear coupling.

The Sergiuskirche has only on the east side rooms. They are rectangular and have a semi-circular apse with a window. The location of the central altar apse remains visible on the articulated by triangular niches outer wall. Close up from half circles. Within all four conchae are semi-circular rounded, as are the north side of the concha on the outside. The conches in the south and west, however, are formed outside the pentagon. These two conches are illuminated by a semi-circular narrow window, the importance of the eastern apse emphasize three adjacent windows. The collapsed along with the drum dome was one of the largest in Armenia. The eight corners of walls, they wore stuck in front with pilasters pillars placed in the room. The transition to the dome circle presented on two consecutive squinches ago.

The church was accessible from the west and south. The Tympanonbogen above the west portal is gone. The rich and varied decoration of the exterior walls is next to half-round beading on the windows of the doubled half-columns at the edges of the western and southern conch, which are connected by blind arcades and from the cornice. The blind arcade in the West is in relief with a diagonal braiding, the one in the south is decorated with a centrally through ongoing stylized tree with branches. Both design elements are also found at the Cathedral of Talin at the appropriate place. The cornices on the Ostfenstern are framed by circular horseshoe arches. The round Nordkonche has no ornaments. They probably originated in an early restoration. On traces of color in the apse of Jesus Christ was to identify with the apostles.

The Sergiuskirche was repeatedly restored and rebuilt, as can be seen in different processed stones especially on the upper wall areas in history. In 1900, she was still roofed flat with wooden beams and in use. The recent conservation measures were terminated abruptly after 1991. From the Soviet era is still a construction crane. The Sergiuskirche is closed and the inside is not accessible.

Lmbatavank

The small cross-domed church Lmbatavank situated on a hill 1.5 km southwest of the city center. It has the most important painting remains of the 7th century in Armenia.