Sourb Amenaprkich Church, Gyumri, Armenia

Sourb Amenaprkich (Holy Savior) church is situated in the centre of Gyumri city, Armenia. It was erected in 1860-1873. The architect of the building is Tadevos Andikian.

Sourb Amenaprkich church is one of the most important sights of Gyumri and Armenia as well. The church looks like the Ani Cathedral, but it's not a slavish copy of the latter. Sourb Amenaprkich is larger in size and has bigger windows with round frames. There is a belfry in the western part of the church. The exterior is rather rich; the walls are decorated with ornaments.

In 1930 after the establishment of the Soviet authority Sourb Amenaprkich church was confiscated by the State and closed. The dome was damaged and the belfry was demolished in 1937. In 1964 the chief architect of Gyumri Rafael Eghoyan reconstructed the belfry in its original form. In 1970-1980 the church was used as a concert hall. The famous Armenian singer Gohar Gasparian was the first to appear on its stage.

The church remained standing during the earthquake of 1926, but the earthquake of 1988 destroyed the church. Some skeptics thought that the church, an architectural centre of the city, could not be reconstructed. But the architect Rafael Eghoyan was able to prove the opposite. In the 90's national "Amenaprkich" fund was established to reconstruct Sourb Amenaprkich church as well as a number of other historical monuments. Government allocations and sponsors' donations made possible the church reconstruction. Among the sponsors there was a Buddhist Chin Khay who donated $ 100 000.

The reconstruction design was made by R. Eghoyan and O. Mejroyan. The works lasted for more than 20 years. The preserved fragments of the previous building were used during construction except the fallen dome which is kept in the church yard. The walls of the church are strengthened with reinforced concrete structures. Architects assure that the monolithic structure of the reconstructed church will remain standing during many centuries.

By Natalia Ghukasyan, www.building.am