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ANI
- CHURCH OF THE SAVIOR
/ XIth century
This
church stands in the eastern section of the city between the church of
Tigran Honents' and the cathedral. The church which was completed in
1036 and of which one half has collapsed (it is literally sliced in half)
has a volume similar to that of King Gagik's church of St. Gregory (at
least in the generally accepted reconstruction of Toramanian). It can be
conceived of as composed of two superposed cylinders (the lower portion
is really a nineteen sided polygon) of which the upper cylinder
surmounted by a conical roof naturally has a lesser diameter than the
lower.
The blind arcading on the exterior of the two cylinders is reminiscent
of those on Gagik's church. The interior was composed of a large
cupolaed cylinder surrounded at its base by eight semi-circular niches
cut in the thickness of the wall.
Traces of frescoes remain in the absidal conchs. The building is in very
precarious equilibrium and requires urgent consolidation.
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