Enough with the churches

[Hakob]

Re: Enough with the churches

Very good points made!
whatever the motives behind them, these churches have done more than their fair of positives.
For seventy years they were the primary force behind nationless Armenians in the diaspora keeping their identity.
also, from personal experience, two years ago when i spent a few months in gyumri, i was living on Paruyr Sevak st, and there was a church that had been constructed in recent years http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:St-Hagop_gyumri.jpg
the church didn't create any jobs, or heal anyone, or provide any education. However for the few thousand people living in that part of the city, it was their biggest point of pride in their community and provided a sense of normality, and it was the place where everyone gathered in the evenings.

What a beutifull structure it is. Thanks Mher. Any diasporan can verify my words. When traveling to a place that has any trace of Armenians, first thing one does is to find out if there is a church and where it is.

[Eddo211]

Re: Enough with the churches

I love Armenian churches....and now I see cathedrals as well.....I always feel good inside our churches but I ain't much of church goer......I am more like a solicitor that a priest or someone chases down and ask "who are you my son?" lol.
No, but I gotta go light some candles next week and pickup some bread (Atsg).

[Mher]

Re: Enough with the churches

What a beutifull structure it is. Thanks Mher. Any diasporan can verify my words. When traveling to a place that has any trace of Armenians, first thing one does is to find out if there is a church and where it is.

https://www.acopiancenter.am/news/galleryDetails.asp?tid=87&cid=82

Here's a better photo, and more information about the foundation that funded it, which I had never heard of. It always amazes me when hearing of diaspora Armenians whose ancestors survived the horrors of Western Armenia, ended up in the West, and for 75 years lived secluded without seeing or hearing anything or anyone from Armenia, and then when Armeina became independent, they somehow felt compelled to flock to its help, out of a sense of ancestral responsibility to the idea of Armenia, even though they had no physical connection to anything or anyone in modern armenia

and this reminds me of a a something that comes back to what Hakob is saying. My good friend who I met while in Gyumri, grew up in Fresno not knowing more than a few words of Armenian. His only connection to his heritage was the fresno Armenian church. However, through that church he met his fiancee from Montebello. Together they decided to volunteer in Armenia, and after some 10 weeks, he was going back to Fresno in a Monte shirt.

[Haykakan]

Re: Enough with the churches

Yes i agree that churches have a important role to play in Armenian communities and should be considered important but i also believe that we badly need other ways in which we can come together as a community. As you said the church makes people feel good but it does not provide many jobs nor good education. If a community needs a church then sure build it but building a church for your mom or building a new church right next to an older one....its just a waste of resources. To be honest i think it would be great to build a school with a community center where good education can be had along with providing a place for people (especially young people) to hang out together-play ball, make friends, date.. In the diaspora the church is the center of everything and for perhaps tax reasons everything is built around the church. I think this places too much importance on the church and Armenians need an identity beyond just being Christian. There is more to life then church/religion and focusing on it is a mistake for it severely limits our identity. Armenia has other focal points like the opera house, the hraparak, ...but the diaspora does not. what we do have in the diaspora is a church for each political party and people of one party won't attend the others church. here the church becomes a political tool. Going to church in the diaspora is very different then going to church in Armenia. In the diaspora it is a showing off contest especially for the women. Church is closed and locked up much of the time in the diaspora but in Armenia churches are always open and people do not need to dress up or dress vulgar like they do in diaspora. I do think churches represent value and serve a important purpose in our communities but they have a monopoly in the diaspora over the Armenian identity which i do not think is a good thing. We Armenians were Armenians loong before there were churches thus being Armenian means far more then going to church.

[Կարմիր Բ]

Re: Enough with the churches

Personally, I am against organized religion. In fact, I am not religious nor do I believe in such things. But Armenian Christianity is part of our national identity, subsequently churches are important. I agree though that they must be kept in check and regulated.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Enough with the churches

Here's a better photo

It might be better built than most, but it is still yet another architectural Frankenstein's Monster - head hacked off one place, arm from another place, leg from somewhere else, and all badly stiched together.

[Hakob]

Re: Enough with the churches

It might be better built than most, but it is still yet another architectural Frankenstein's Monster - head hacked off one place, arm from another place, leg from somewhere else, and all badly stiched together.

Armenian church architecture is the architectural style of the Armenian church buildings created since the Apostolic era of Christianity in the Armenian Highland during the 1st century. It was developed over the last 1900 years. According to professor digran Kouymjian (Ph.D. in Armenian Studies from Columbia University),[1] the unique national style of Armenian church architecture came into being by the late 6th or early 7th century, probably becoming the first national style in Christian architecture, long before the Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic or the less known Ethiopian, Scandinavian and Slavic styles were concretely formed.[2]

CharacteristicsEdit
Christianity's institution as Armenia's official religion in 301 allowed new developments in Armenian architecture. The first Armenian churches were built on the orders of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, and were often built on top of pagan temples, imitating some aspects of Armenian pre-Christian architecture. Armenian churches particularly have several distinctive features with common characteristics:

Pointed domes, reminiscent of the volcanic cone of Greater Ararat. The conical or semiconical radially segmented dome or cupola is mounted above vaulted ceilings on a cylindrical drum (usually polygonal on the outside, most often octagonal)[3]
The vertical emphasis of the whole structure, with the height often exceeding the length of a church[3]
Reinforcement of the verticality with tall, narrow windows[3]
Stone vaulted ceilings.
Composed almost entirely of stone, usually volcanic tufa or basalt.
A composite roof composed of finely-cut tufa shingles.
Frescoes and carvings, if present, are usually ornate and include swirling intertwining grapevines and foliage.
Heavy use of tall structural arches, both for supporting the cupola as part of the drum, the vaulted ceiling, and the vertical walls.
Roofs intersecting to support the dome, both in basilicas and centrally-planned churches.
Sculptural decoration of external walls, including figures.
Classification of traditional Armenian churches
Within the bounds of the aforementioned common characteristics, individual churches display considerable variation which may reflect time, place, and the creativity of its designer. Toros Toramanian distinguished the following classical styles while studying these variations in the early 20th century:[3]

The Classical Styles of Armenian Architecture According to Toros Toramanian[3]
Style Armenian nomenclature Example
Basilica Bazilik (Բազիլիկ) Ererouk
Domed basilica Gmbetakir bazilik (Գմբեթակիր բազիլիկ) Tekor Basilica
Cruciform Etchmiadznatip (Էջմիածնատիպ) Etchmiadzin Cathedral
Vertical-emphasis rectangular Oughatzig karankiun (Ուղղագիծ քառանկյուն) Saint Gayane Church
Radial Sharavighayin (Շառավիղային) Saint Hripsime
Circular Zvartnotsatip (Զվարթնոցատիպ) Zvartnots