Armenia: Zvartnots Cathedral
Zvartnots Cathedral stands ruined with only foundation and columns remaining. Built between 643 and 652 AD under the patronage of Catholicos Nerses III, known as Nerses the Builder, Zvartnots was intended to be the most impressive cathedral of its time. It is associated with the meeting of King Trdat III and Saint Gregory the Illuminator, which led to the conversion of Armenia to Christianity. The cathedral stood for about three centuries before it was destroyed by an earthquake in the 10th century. Its ruins were excavated in the early 20th century, revealing its impressive foundations and surviving architectural elements. Zvartnots Cathedral is unique for its circular exterior structure and a set of interior piers that supported a multifloor structure with a dome on top.
