Ss. Paul and Peter Cathedral - Tatev Monastery (Syunik province - Armenia)
N 39° 22.766 E 046° 14.994
38S E 607652 N 4359628
The Cathedral of Ss. Paul and Peter (Surb Pogos-Petros), former seat of bishops of Syunik duchy, is the oldest surviving and also the most important structure of the Tatev monastery in South Armenia.
Waymark Code: WMGCF2
Location: Armenia
Date Posted: 02/14/2013
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The Cathedral of Ss. Paul and Peter (Surb Pogos-Petros), former seat of bishops of Syunik duchy, is the oldest surviving and also the most important structure of the Tatev monastery in South Armenia.
Dedicated in 906 by the Catholicos Hovhannes Draskhanakertsi and King Smbat I Bagratuni, it was built for bishop Ter-Hovhannes to match his position as head of the Syunik Bishopry as well as the important relics housed here. The church was called Pogos-Petros on honour of the relics of St. Paul and St. Peter.
Built at the end of Arab rule, the cathedral was magnificent testament to the aspiration of a reborn kongdom. Its most noticeable feature is the drum (tholobate), one of the tallest in Armenia. The facade of the dome and the lower eastern wall have carvings of the donors of the church: Price Ashot of Syunik, his wife Shushan, Princes Grigor Supan of Gerharkunik, his son Vasak Gaburand and Dzagik of Bakhk.
The inner space is dominated by the great dome, its drum rests on the central square. The wall were originally plastered nad covered by frescoes (ca. 930). Surviving fragments include the apse fresco of Christ Enthroned, flanked by prophets and saints, the enormous fresco of Judgement Day on the western wall, and on the north Scenes of the Nativity.
The Tatev Monastery, located near town Goris in South-Armenian province Syunik, is one of the masterpieces of Armenian medieval architecture and one of spiritual centres of the oldest Christian country.