Many places in Armenia are connected with the tragic love story of a pagan king, Tiridates III. He fell in love with a heavenly beautiful Roman nun. Having received her refusal, the king ordered to hit the rebellious girl with stones to death, as well as her friends. The nuns were seeking shelter on Armenian land, and a lot of beautiful churches appeared in the place of their innocent deaths, together with mysterious legends and tales.
One of these places is the church of Saint Gayane constructed in 641.
That early example of the Armenian architecture falls into the category of dome basilicas. The church of Saint Gayane was the first building of that type in Armenia. The Armenian churches used to be built in the style closer to the classical pagan traditions. The change of religion influenced the rules of church architecture. New ceremonial buildings were supposed to have a cross in their basements and beautiful domes on top that symbolize the heavens.
Unfortunately, the architect, who created that masterpiece, is unknown. But it was him, who designed the poles under domes. They had been first used in The Church of Saint Gayane and then became a canonic rule for building an Armenian Christian churches that didn’t change for centuries.
Many generations of the local people cherished and protected the holy place. In 1652 they fully renovated the building, changed the dome, and restored the ceiling. The church was so solid that it survived a strong earthquake in 1679. A beautiful gallery was adjoined to the church in 1683. It was created for burials of the high clergy members of Armenia. The relics of Saint Gayane herself were moved closer to the altar as the main treasure of the temple.
The church has mostly remained intact until today. You can still see a magnificent mural painting of the 17th century at the eastern entrance of the church. The thick walls made from huge stone blocks look as if they were cut out a few years ago, not in the 17th century. But appearances is deceptive, the atmosphere inside the building is very special. It is here that one feels that it’s an ancient sacred place, a true symbol of the martyr faith to Christianity.