Katoghike Church – Talin, Armenia

The Katoghike Church, also known as the Talinsk Cathedral, is located north of the town of Talin. In the historical annals, records on the construction of the church have not been preserved. After analyzing the architectural and artistic features of the church building, historians came to the conclusion that it belongs to the second half of the 7th century.

Presumably, the church was built by the princes of the Kamsarakan family. Some researchers believe that it was built at a time when the Armenian Church was forced to accept Chalcedonianism.

The Katoghike Church is a domed basilica. Its exterior is distinguished by luxurious sculptural decorations in white and red. This is what distinguishes it from other Armenian churches of the 5th-7th centuries which are characterized by the strictness of architectural forms and modest decoration. Interior decorations were replaced with rich murals.

The walls of the temple were once decorated with frescoes, only a small part of which has survived to the present day. Today, you can only see fragments of frescoes above the main altar with the image of the Mother of God, Jesus Christ, and the faces of saints. The most famous of them are the “Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem” and “Christ in Glory.” The murals were painted by the order of Movses Yekeghetsapan.

The Katoghike Church was seriously damaged by an earthquake in 1840 – its dome and southwestern area were destroyed. In 1947, the church was partially restored. The dome drum was restored and the roof was repaired in 1970-74.

During the restoration works, the ruins of a medieval single-nave vaulted chapel were found north of the church. Under the floor of the chapel, there likely used to be a tomb. Nearby were also found four-sided thematic high reliefs and sculptures.

Article prepared by Natalia Gukasyan Photo: www.building.am

Cathedral of Talin, Armenia