Yererouk

Name: Yererouk
Monument type: Church-Monastic Complex
Region: Shirak Province
Periods: Medieval

Name: Yererouk

Other nominations: Early Christian three-aisled basilica cathedral of Yererouyk, Medieval complex of Yererouyk

Monument type: Basilica church, Christian memorial-tomb complex, rock-hewn rooms, reservoir, embankment dam

Region: Shirak

Community: Ani Community

Residence: Anipemza village

Location: The memorial complex is located in the east of Anipemza village. The monument is built on a volcanic plateau, on the eastern bank of the Akhuryan River, which is the current border between Armenia and Turkey.

Preservation: The basilica church is preserved up to the roof, one of the rock-hewn rooms is preserved and the second one is partially preserved, the reservoir building is completely preserved, some parts of the rampart are clearly visible.

Coordinates: 40o26’24” 43o36’33”

Elevation: 1400 m

Era and chronology: The memorial dates from the early Middle Ages (V-VI centuries) to the XIX century.

Yererouyk: Where Armenia’s Resilient Past Resurrects and Thrives

You can almost hear the echoes of the past reverberating within the walls, and you can feel the enduring essence of Armenian heritage infusing your soul as you bask in the timeless beauty of Yererouyk.

Dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries, Yererouyk is one of the earliest surviving Christian monuments and its temple is one of the largest basilicas in Armenia.

This Medieval Complex is a treasure trove of culture, spirituality, and artistic brilliance that has withstood centuries in order to preserve the stories of the past for generations to come.

Perched majestically on a volcanic plateau in the region of Shirak, along the eastern bank of the Akhuryan River, Yererouyk straddles the modern-day border between Armenia and Turkey. This Early Christian three-aisled basilica cathedral’s roots trace back to the early Middle Ages, with its construction spanning from the V-VI centuries to the XIX century. The basilica church of Yererouyk stands out from its peers, making it a classical example of early Christian basilica churches.

The Yererouyk complex comprises a basilica church,, a reservoir, and an embankment dam and rock-hewn rooms believed to have been secret places of prayer before adopting Christianity as the official religion in Armenia. The village is also renowned for its cemetery and memorials. In the southern and southeastern sections of the basilica, eight stair-shaped plinths encircle the cross pillars,

As one of the most prominent sanctuaries of Armenia, Yererouyk has held a special place in the hearts of Armenian kings and princes. Their attention and patronage have left their mark on the site, adding to its significance.

Legend has it that the name “Yererouyk” originates from the Armenian word for “to shake,” alluding to the ground’s trembling during frequent earthquakes, imbuing this sacred place with an additional layer of mystique.

The pearl of the complex is the magnificent Cathedral which is dedicated to St. John the Baptist and St. Stephen. Crafted from Ani’s famed tuff stone, it’s a marvel of design and construction and defies the conventions of Armenian church architecture

The cathedral boasts a three-aisled/nave prayer hall, a semicircular senior shrine, storage rooms, and external colonnades on its three sides. The sun-soaked southern and western walls are adorned with sculptures and intricate images such as roses, trees and crosses.

The walls of Yererouyk bear the inscriptions of time, with Greek and Armenian engravings spanning centuries. Notably, a 1028 inscription by the Queen of Armenia, the wife of King Hovhannes Smbat, documents her efforts to exempt the estate from taxes, underscoring the site’s enduring significance.

Recent studies have unearthed numerous fragments of tiles, confirming the cathedral’s roof was once covered with them. The discovery of 72 medieval graves has shed light on the history, demographics, and peculiarities of the medieval population that once thrived around Yererouyk.

FACTS

❈ Yererouyk, an Early Christian basilica cathedral, is majestically located on a volcanic plateau in the Shirak region, spanning construction from V-VI centuries to the XIX century.

❈ The complex includes a basilica church, a reservoir, an embankment dam, and rock-hewn prayer rooms, revealing its history before Christianity became Armenia’s official religion.

❈ This sanctuary holds a special place in the hearts of Armenian kings and princes, and its name, “Yererouyk,” is derived from the Armenian word for “to shake,”
alluding to frequent earthquakes.

❈ The magnificent Cathedral, dedicated to St. John the Baptist and St. Stephen, defies Armenian church architecture conventions and features intricate sculptures,
images, and inscriptions, including a notable 1028 inscription by the Queen of Armenia.

❈ Recent studies have uncovered fragments of roof tiles and medieval graves, shedding light on the history and demographics of the population around Yererouyk.

Research history

The first scientific research of Yererouyk was carried out by the St. Petersburg Imperial Academy of Sciences, under the leadership of N. Mar, 1907-1908, 1914.

In 1958 Committee for the Protection of Historical Monuments under the leadership of Al. Sahinyan carried out studies in the temple and the surrounding areas, due to further strengthening and restoration works.

1985-1986 the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography under the leadership of F. Ter-Martirosov carried out research in Yererouyk, aiming to find out the possibility of the ancient period existence in the complex area.

In 1987-1988 a detailed architectural examination was carried out by V. Grigoryan.

In 1989-2005 “Armenian Culture Studies and Documentation Center” in Milan and Venice, along with Italian specialists and in cooperation with the RA Ministry of Culture, performed many works on the monument thus making the extension of the temple life possible. In 2009-2016 The University of Aix-Marseille and GNRS in collaboration with the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography and the Shirak Geological Museum, under P. Tonapetyan’s leadership, carried out interdisciplinary studies in Yererouyk, the results of which were published in the form of a monograph.

Archaeological description

Location
The pearl of the Yererouyk complex is the temple, which is one of the largest basilicas in Armenia. The reservoir is in the valley, to the north-east of the temple. The two rock-hewn chambers are to the north of the basilica. Researchers are inclined to assume that before adopting Christianity as the official religion in Armenia, these rooms were secret places of prayer (F. Ter Martirosov). The dam was also a part of the extensive complex around the temple, and its rampart remains were discovered by excavations (A. Sahinyan). Both in the early Middle Ages and in the following centuries, Yererouyk was one of the important sanctuaries of Armenia, so it is no coincidence that it has always been in the center of attention of the Armenian kings and princes.

Stratigraphy
Researchers assume that the Temple of Yererouyk was founded on the site of an old sanctuary that existed here, which has not been proven yet. The temple does not have a construction record, so due to comparative research, it is dated back to the V-VI centuries. The Basilica of Yererouyk was active until the XIV century. After the final decline of Ani, Yererouyk lost its importance as well and gradually bowed down. However, the complex around the basilica continued to exist, in particular, the dam irrigating the gardens and fields functioned until the end of the XIX century.

Architecture
One of the famous basilicas of Armenia, the Cathedral of Yererouyk is dedicated to St. John the Baptist and St. Stephen. It is dated back to the V-VI centuries. Rising on the multi-tiered socle, the temple is built with the tuff stone from Ani. It consists of a three-aisled/nave (10.6×25.8 m) prayer hall, a semicircular senior shrine on the eastern side, storage rooms on its right and left sides, rooms in the two western corners and external colonnades on the three sides (southern, western and northern). The prayer hall with the six pairs of T-shaped gables is divided into wide central and narrow side aisles/naves. Two of the three entrances to the temple open in the southern wall, one – in the western. The three-nave church of Yererouyk has been compared in the scientific literature with a number of three-nave churches in Syria, namely Turmani, Kalb Loze, Ruweiha, Resafa (S. Sargis), El Bara (El Husn). However, while bearing a certain influence of Syrian architecture, the architectural composition and decoration of the Basilica of Yererouyk are not completely identical. Yererouyk and similar Syrian basilicas differ in form, symmetries, construction techniques and are buildings created with different artistic principles. In the architecture of the temple of Yererouyk, decoration measures were applied mainly in the western and southern parts, where the entrances are opened. At the same time, the architect took into account the “function” of the sun, because the southern and western walls were in sunlight longer during the day. In the temple, the sculptures of saints on the porches stand out, where the cross, the symbol of Christianity, is in the central place. There are ibex depicted on both sides of the central cross of the west porch, and here the goat is depicted only on one side of the circular cross on the west entrance of the south facade. Olive trees laden with fruit are depicted on the cross sides of the two porches of the south facade. The same iconography is also on the door jamb of the south-eastern repository of the temple. There are trees and six petal roses carved on the jamb of the south facade east door at the central circle with the cross. Among many windows in the vestry, the western facade three arch capitals are the richest in sculpture, decorated with cross and rose images. Crosses are also depicted at the crossing points of the arches. Some parts of the basilica were covered with frescoes, of which very little has been preserved today. Three inscriptions with different contents are carved on the walls of the monastery. The first one is in Greek, the text of the inscription is from the 93rd psalm, written in the “tabula ansata” on the south-eastern depository, dated back to the 5-6th centuries. The second one, the Armenian inscription, is located inside the temple, on the northern wall of the tabernacle. The eight-line record mentions the renovation of the temple. The inscription is not dated, according to archaeological observations it dates back to the X-XI centuries. The third inscription is illegible due to wear and tear. It is located to the left of the east porch of the south facade. The author of the inscription dated back to 1028 is the Queen of Armenia, the wife of King Hovhannes Smbat of the Bagratuni dynasty. With this protocol, the Queen states that she has exempted the Estate from a certain type of tax. The village is also notable for its cemetery and memorials. In the south and southeast parts of the basilica, eight stair-shaped plinths around the cross pillars have been preserved. Such a number of early Christian monuments are not known from any other monument. There is a quadrangular walled building located in the ravine, one hundred meters northeast to the basilica. Interestingly, the structure has no entrance. The circumstance of being in a ravine suggested that it was a reservoir (F. Ter Martirosov). According to another version, the structure was originally a tomb, which later transformed into a reservoir (P. Tonapetyan).

🔨 Findings

Many fragments of tiles were found around the temple, which prove that the roof of the basilica was covered with tiles. As a result of recent studies, it was possible to examine 72 medieval graves, which provided the basis for the classification of the cemetery around the temple (V-XX centuries), as well as to reveal the sex-age composition of the medieval population and many other peculiarities. In particular, it was found that in the XI century only infants were buried around the temple.

Significance

The basilica church of Yererouyk is unique in early medieval Armenian church architecture and differs from other Armenian three-nave basilicas. It also occupies a special place among early Christian basilica churches, being one of their classical examples.

📜 Traditional legends

According to tradition, the name Yererouyk comes from the verb “to shake”, probably due to the movement and swaying of the ground caused by the frequent earthquakes.

Sources

Literature

Ter-Gevorgyan Sh. 2000, Relations between the early Christian architecture of Armenia and Syria, Yerevan, “Science”, 283 pages.
Sahinyan A. 1964, The barrier of the artificial lake of Yererouyk, An overview of the Armenian architecture history, Yerevan, Armenian SSR Academy of Science ed., 326 pages.
Tonapetyan P. 2020, Party. A famous ancient site of Christian Armenia, Yerevan, «Sargis Khachens. Printinfo», 202 pages.
Marr N. 1968, The basilica church of Yererouyk, Armenian temple of the 5-6th centuries, in the vicinity of Ani, Yerevan, AN edition Armenian SSR, 38 p.
Ter-Martirosov F. 2001, Little-studied monuments of Yereruyk, Armenian saints and shrines, Yerevan, ‹Hayastan››, pp. 234-243.