This article is part of a series on the ruins of Ani, which are in the north-east region of Turkey, on the border with Armenia. You can read the first article here.
Tigran Honents Church
On the edge of the ruins of Ani is the Tigran Honents church. Dating from 1215, it took its name from the wealthy Armenian merchant that ordered and paid for its construction.
Upon first sight, its small size dumbed down the intricate architecture but on closer inspection, the extreme detail on the outside of the church won my admiration.
Ornate animal carvings were placed on each exterior wall and historians suggested they were added later, when Ani fell under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Rather than ruin the aesthetic look, the additions of the carvings completed the overall appearance.
Inscriptions had also been carefully carved into the stone on the eastern wall. The language was unrecognisable, making me think of the church as a long lost sacred place of an ancient tribe.
At the time of construction, the area was under Georgian rule and this explains the extensive interior frescoes, which were not typical of Armenian architecture.
All the frescoes detail the life of Jesus and Saint Grigor. The most disappointing aspect is that some of the frescoes have been ruined with tacky tourist graffiti.
Even though, it is called the Tigran Honents church, other names include the Church of St Gregory the illuminator and the Church of Sirli. Irrelevant of the name, it was hard not to be impressed when I stood in the middle of the building that is nearly 800 years old.
As I exited the church, I spotted Armenian watch towers in the far distance. They seemed to be empty. It was as if Armenia had turned its back on the city.
A lot of blame has been placed on Turkey for the lack of care and reconstruction that placed Ani on the WMF endangered list however these are Armenian ruins so shouldn’t that government be taking an interest in their own heritage?
From research on the internet, I cannot find any documentation by the Armenian government proving an interest in Ani. If this is correct, it is a very sad fact indeed.
Shame about the forgotten language i would like to no what it said its also a shame that both country’s have no interest in ruins 800 years old
Someone has suggested it is ancient Armenian Di but that is still to be confirmed
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this site is just unbelievable, Natalie. I can’t believe it isn’t on most tourists’ radars! I could easily spend 2-3 days there.
gorgeous shots <3
- Maria Alexandra
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Shame that is not on most tourist lists NT as the money made from entrance tickets could contribute towards the restorations.
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And incredible site Natalie, the inscriptions, frescos, all breathtaking – do hope it gets the attention it deserves.
You have been at my latest blogpost; greatly enjoy your posts, a huge dose of home for me, big thanks to you:)
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Glad you liked it Ozlem – the whole site was amazing for me and that is why I had to split it into over four posts. Too many photos!
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I landed on this post by pure coincidence and although I am late to comment given the original post date, I could not help but comment. What a disgrace to Armenian culture and history this post is! What a shame you have portrayed Ani and its cathedral so wrongfully! Ani is an ancient Armenian city that was conquered by the Turks (who are responsible for the first genocide of the 20th century against exactly the Armenian people in case you were unaware!). This church is Armenian, including the scriptures on the outside! I can’t believe you could not find that out! Also, the crosses that once ornated the church were destroyed by the Turks, what a disgusting sign of utter disrespect. Your claim about the Armenian government not wanting to claim Ani back is false! Armenia is nothing but very interested to gain back all of its once Armenian land that was stolen by the Turks and is currently still fighting for land. Armenia is proud of its heritage and culture! In fact it is one of the proudest populations I know. Of course Armenia is interested in its heritage, what a ridiculous assumption to say the opposite, shame on you and if you knew the least bit about world politics you would have known that the Turks have made it impossible for the Armenians to move forward with any such plans. Before writing such posts, please inform yourself! You have wrongfully portrayed an entire population and culture!
1 – This is not the cathedral. This is the Tigran honents church.
2 – At the beginning of the article I say “This article is part of a series on the ruins of Ani, which are in the north-east region of Turkey, on the border with Armenia. You can read the first article here.”
What a shame you could not be bothered to read all of that before commenting on what my articles are missing
3 – Your words were that I made a “claim”. If someone does this, they believe their claim to be 100% true. My specific words were
“From research on the internet, I cannot find any documentation by the Armenian government proving an interest in Ani. If this is correct, it is a very sad fact indeed.”
Please see the bit in bold.
Also if you really gave any interest in Ani or the Armenian heritage, you would provide me with further reading resources instead of ranting and raving to make yourself feel better. Leaving a comment on a blog does not put you on a higher pedestal. If you are so upset my my series of posts on the city, then educate me. But before you do that, make sure you read all of them first.
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Hi Natalie,
Thank you for bringing attention to Ani. Much appreciated!
A bit of possible (apology Nataly if I’m assuming too much here) explanation for Nataly’s angst which stems from someone deeply hurt because of Turkey’s ongoing Genocide of the Armenian people. I say ongoing, because denial is said to be another stage of genocide. Turkey has been at denying the Armenian Genocide for nearly 100 years now and relegating the historical Armenian presence in Ani is a prime example of such denial, i.e. such cultural genocide.
I’m Armenian myself and in fact have visited Ani as part of a tour of eastern Turkey which Armenians know as Western Armenia. We call this Western Armenia because because for some 2,500 years this land was the homeland of the Armenian people and yet in the years of 1915 – 1923 it all ended in the Armenian Genocide where some 1.5 million Armenians were killed and the remaining (a million or so) deported from their land and essentially forbidden to return. To make matters worse, Turkey now implements cultural genocide on the Armenians by denying our history in a land that for millenia was known as the Armenian plateau. In my travels there I was agast at so much blatant historical revision, i.e. that the Armenians were just a small tribe of people that never really mattered in this land.
This crosses into modern times with the Turkish blockade of Armenia, effectively preventing anyone to cross the border from Armenia into Turkey. Given this, can you imagine how difficult the Turks can make it for Armenia to do anything with Ani.
When I was a young boy I remember how sad I felt when people asked me what an Armenian was. I would despertately tell them they Armenia was the site of Mt. Ararat (actually another historic Armenian site that the Turks occupied) where Noah’s ark landed or that Armenia was the first nation to accept Christianity. None of it really mattered because Armenia in those days was part of the Soviet Union, i.e. it didn’t really exist to the Western World, and why did it not exist? Largely because the Turks tried to wipe Armenia off the face of the earth, and now those same Turks (certainly not all of them) want Armenia to just go away into the ashbin of a forgotten history.
I hope this gives you some insight into why Armenians can get so wound up about historical accuracy. You see, we’ve been in an all out battle for nearly 100 years now, just to stay around on this earth. At times quite honestly we’re scared to death that our nation, our people, that have played a part in this planet’s history for some 2,500 years are not going to make it because of what happened in 1915.
I want to end this by again saying Thank you for bringing attention to Ani. Much appreciated! If you like have a look at http://www.armenian-genocide.org/ for more information on the Armenian Genocide.
Hi Robert,
Apologies for not replying earlier. I have been thinking about your comment and still have to find the time to fully read the website that you posted. Obviously as well, I want to find material written by Turkish people regarding their opinion on the matter. At the moment, it is not something that I can firmly say I believe on either side as my knowledge of it is just what I glean from the internet.
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