Cathedral of Ani

Cathedral of Ani
The cathedral in 2009 The cathedral displayed in a red circle within Ani
Religion
Affiliation	Armenian Apostolic Church
Location
Location	Ani, Kars Province, Turkey
Shown within Turkey
Geographic coordinates	40°30′22″N 43°34′23″E / 40.506206°N 43.572969°E / 40.506206; 43.572969
Architecture
Architect(s)	Trdat
Type	Domed basilica
Style	Armenian
Founder	Smbat II of Armenia
Groundbreaking	989
Completed	1001 or 1010
Specifications
Length	34.3 m (113 ft)[a]
Width	21.9 m (72 ft)[a]
Height (max)	originally: 38 m (125 ft)[1] 24 m (79 ft) to the base of the dome[2]
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name: Archaeological Site of Ani
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iii, iv
Designated	2016 (40th session)
Reference no.	1518
Region	Western Asia

The Cathedral of Ani (Armenian: Անիի մայր տաճար, Anii mayr tačar; Turkish: Ani Katedrali) is the largest standing building in Ani, the capital city of medieval Bagratid Armenia, located in present-day eastern Turkey, on the border with modern Armenia. Its construction was completed in the early 11th century by the architect Trdat and it was the seat of the Catholicos, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, for nearly half a century.

In 1064, following the Seljuk conquest of Ani, the cathedral was converted into a mosque. It later returned to being used as an Armenian church. It eventually suffered damage in a 1319 earthquake when its conical dome collapsed. Subsequently, Ani was gradually abandoned and the church fell into disrepair. The north-western corner of the church was heavily damaged by a 1988 earthquake.

The cathedral is considered the largest and most impressive structure in Ani. It is a domed basilica with a rectangular plan, though the dome and most of its supporting drum are now missing. Its use of pointed arches and cluster piers has been widely cited by scholars to have possibly influenced, or at least preceded, Gothic architecture. The cathedral, along with the entire site of Ani, was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 2016.

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