Holy Saviour's Church (), is a 19th-century church in

Gyumri Gyumri (, ) is an urban municipal community and the List of cities and towns in Armenia, second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th centur ...

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

. It occupies the southern side of the

Vartanants Square Vartanants Square ( ''Vartanants Hraparak'') or Vardanants Square, is the large central town square in Gyumri, Armenia. It is bordered by Abovyan street from the west, Gai street from the north, Shahumyan street from the east and Vahan Cheraz stre ...

at the centre of Gyumri. It was constructed between 1858 and 1872 and consecrated in 1873.About Saint Amenaprkich Church in Gyumri
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History

During the 1850s, an Armenian Catholic church and a Greek Orthodox church were built at the centre of Alexandropol-Gyumri. Feeling insulted of this fact, the devotees of the Armenian Apostolic Church (who constituted the majority of the city's population) decided to build a new church right in the middle of the 2 churches that existed, which would look larger and much imposing. The construction of the church was launched in 1858 led by architect Tadeos Andikyan who was known as the ''master of masters'' and the ''oustabashi''. It was completed in 1872 and consecrated in 1873. The construction was fulfilled through the donations of the population of Alexandropol and the Drampyan family. The design of the church was derived from the architecture of the

Cathedral of Ani The Cathedral of Ani (, ''Anii mayr tačar''; ) 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 t ...

. However the Holy Saviour Church is much larger than the Cathedral of Ani. The church survived from the 1926 earthquake. At beginning of the 1930s, it was confiscated by the Soviet government and the belfry was destroyed in 1932. Later in 1964, the belfry was restored. However, during the Soviet rule, the church building was used as a museum, and later as a classical music concerts hall. During the devastating 1988 earthquake, the Church of the Holy Saviour was severely damaged and went under an entire renovation process from 2002. Re-consecration of the cathedral took place in December of 2024.

Gallery

RI. Армения. Александрополь. Фасад ц.Сурб Аменапркич 1877-1878 ArtsAM e1.jpg, The church in 1870-1880 File:Leninakan, Armenia LCCN2014710006.tif, The church in 1926 File:Surb Amenaprkitch.jpeg, After the 1988 earthquake File:Gyumri church 1988.jpg 2014 Prowincja Szirak, Giumri, Kościół Zbawiciela (08).jpg, Church during the reconstruction in June 2014

References

{{Gyumri Buildings and structures in Gyumri Churches completed in 1873 Tourist attractions in Shirak Province