St. Thaddeus the Apostle Church of Ddmashen ( hy, Դդմաշենի Սուրբ Թադևոս եկեղեցի; also St. Tadevos the Apostle Church) is a 7th-century Armenian church located within the village of
Ddmashen
Ddmashen ( hy, Դդմաշեն) is a village in the Gegharkunik Province of Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification ...
in the
Gegharkunik Province of
Armenia.
Named after
Saint Thaddeus the Apostle, the church is considered by some to be the fourth most important example of its style of architecture after the
Cathedral of Talin
The Cathedral of Talin ( hy, Թալինի Կաթողիկե եկեղեցի) is a seventh-century Armenian cathedral located in the cemetery of Talin, in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia.
Talin Cathedral
Architecture
Talin's Katoghike Chur ...
,
Ptghavank
Ptghnavank ( Armenian: Պտղնավանք) or Ptghni temple ( Armenian:Պտղնի Վանք) is located in the village of Ptghni in the Kotayk Province of Armenia.
Architecture
The temple is a domed single- nave basilica type completed in t ...
, and
Aruchavank. Following structural damage caused by an earthquake, the drum was replaced in 1907 by a sixteen-sided one in an architectural style that was different from that of the original. Aside from the aforementioned alteration, there have not been any other major changes to the church. A large cemetery is situated south of the church, consisting mostly of unmarked grave stones.
Architecture
The church of S. Tadevos has a large
cruciform rectangular-plan. A single conical
dome
A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...
rests above a sixteen-sided
drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...
with eight windows that let light into the interior of the structure. There are also niches in the façades between each of the windows that surround the drum. There is a single small window at the
apse, while there are ten larger windows light the
nave, and a window in each of the prayer rooms or "studies" adjacent to the apse. The exterior and interior of the church are relatively void of any decoration. Molding above the windows is undecorated as well.
Within the interior of the church is a painted wooden
altar.
Gallery
Image:Ddmashen S. Tadevos Church SW Wall.JPG, View from the southwest
Image:Ddmashen Khachkar 2.JPG, Khachkars near the south entrance
Image:Ddmashen Khachkars.JPG, A row of khachkars
Image:Ddmashen S. Tadevos Church SW Corner.JPG, View from the southwest corner
Image:Ddmashen Church West Portal.JPG, West entry
Image:Ddmashen Church 1.jpg
Image:Village Ddmashen.JPG, Village view of Ddmashen with the church
References
*
DDMASHEN (Gegharkunik) - Union of Communities of Armenia
External links
Ddmashen Church, Armeniapedia.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Thaddeus Church, Ddmashen
7th-century churches in Armenia
Armenian Apostolic churches in Armenia
Buildings and structures in Gegharkunik Province