Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross
| Cathedral of the Holy Cross | |
|---|---|
The cathedral
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Akdamar Island, Lake Van, Turkey |
| Geographic coordinates | 38°20′25″N 43°02′13″E / 38.3403°N 43.0369°ECoordinates: 38°20′25″N 43°02′13″E / 38.3403°N 43.0369°E |
| Affiliation | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | museum |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Manuel |
| Architectural style | Armenian |
| Groundbreaking | 915 |
| Completed | 921 |
The Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Armenian: Աղթամարի Սուրբ Խաչ եկեղեցի/Armenian: Ախթամարի Սուրբ Խաչ եկեղեցի, Aght’amari Surb Khach yekeghetsi Turkish: Akdamar Kilisesi or Surp Haç Kilisesi) on Akdamar (Aghtamar) Island, in Lake Van in eastern Turkey, is a medieval Armenian Apostolic cathedral, built as a palatine church for the kings of Vaspurakan and later serving as the seat of the Catholicosate of Aghtamar.
During his reign, King Gagik I Artsruni (r. 908-943/944) of the Armenian kingdom of Vaspurakan chose the island of Aght'amar as one of his residences, founding a settlement there. The only structure standing from that period is the Cathedral. It was built of pink volcanic tufa by the architect-monk Manuel during the years 915-921, with an interior measuring 14.80m by 11.5m and the dome reaching 20.40m above ground. In later centuries, and until 1915, it formed part of a monastic complex, the ruins of which can still be seen to the south of the church.
Between 1116 and 1895 Aght'amar Island was the location of the Armenian Catholicosate of Aght'amar. Khachatur III, who died in 1895, was the last Catholicos of Aght'amar. In 1915, during the Armenian Genocide, the church was looted, and the monastic buildings destroyed.
The church remained disused through the decades after 1915. When the writer and journalist Yaşar Kemal visited the island of Akhtamar in 1951, he discovered that it was about to be demolished. Using his contacts he helped stop the planned destruction. The church became a noted tourist attraction in the coming decades. In 2005 the structure was closed to visitors as it underwent a heavy restoration, being opened as a museum by the Turkish government a year later.
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