St Thaddeus Church, Ddmashen: A Seventh-Century Armenian Apostolic Church
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.8
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Armenia
- Primary era
- Classical
- Eras represented
- Classical, Modern
- Civilizations
- Armenian, Russian
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Church
On this page9 sections
History
St Thaddeus Church is a seventh-century Armenian Apostolic church in Ddmashen, Armenia, dedicated to Thaddeus the Apostle and belonging to the Gegharkunik Diocese. The Armenian Apostolic Church is Armenia’s historic independent Christian church and part of the Oriental Orthodox family. Thaddeus, one of the Twelve Apostles, is especially revered in Armenian tradition as an evangelizer of Armenia. The church is described as the first church in Gegharkunik Province and was built during the tenure of Chalcedonian catholicoi, senior Christian leaders whose traditions accepted the doctrines associated with the Council of Chalcedon.
Early importance and later alteration
St Thaddeus Church is regarded in some assessments as the fourth most important example of its architectural style, after Talin Cathedral, Ptghavank, and Aruchavank. Its place within the province’s religious history is also reflected in its continuing connection with the Gegharkunik Diocese.
In 1907, an earthquake damaged the church and led to the replacement of its original dome support, or drum, with a sixteen-sided drum in a different architectural style. A drum is a raised polygonal structure that supports a dome and often contains windows. Apart from this intervention, the church has undergone no other major changes. It remains an active church and is also described as partially ruined. The building is recognized as an Armenian cultural monument.
Remains
The church has a large cruciform rectangular plan and a cross-domed arrangement, in which a central dome rises over a cross-shaped interior plan. Its exterior and interior are largely undecorated, including the bands above the windows. South of the church, a large cemetery extends across the grounds and consists mainly of plain, unmarked gravestones.
Church structure and lighting
Dome and drum
A single conical dome rests on the sixteen-sided drum installed in 1907. Eight windows pierce the drum and admit light into the interior, while façade niches occupy the spaces between them. The replacement gives the upper part of the church a form different from that of the original structure.
Interior openings and altar
The apse, the rounded sanctuary end of the church, has one small window. Ten larger windows illuminate the nave, and the prayer rooms or studies adjoining the apse each have a window. Within the otherwise restrained interior is a painted and decorated wooden altar.
Southern entrance and cemetery
Khachkars
Near the southern entrance stands a row of khachkars, Armenian carved stone cross monuments often enriched with geometric and vegetal designs. These stones form a distinct group beside the church’s entrance.
Gravestones
The cemetery south of St Thaddeus Church is composed mostly of plain, unmarked gravestones. It occupies a large area beside the building and forms part of the surviving physical setting of the church.
