Garni Pagan Temple

Pagan temple Garni, an ancient Armenian pagan temple in the village of the same name in the Kotay region on the right bank of the Azat River. The temple is a historical and cultural monument of Armenia.

Garni fortress was erected in the village of the same name Kotayk marz.



It was a powerful fortification, well known from annalistic sources (Cornelius Tacitus, Movses Khorenatsi and others). The buildings of Garni uniquely combine elements of Hellenistic and national culture, which clearly testify both to ancient influences and to the distinctive building traditions of the Armenian people.



The artistic merits and uniqueness of the monuments put Garni among the outstanding works of world significance.
The structures of the fortress of Garni are successfully integrated into the surrounding nature.

The fortress is located in a picturesque mountainous area, with a wide view of the boundless expanses of orchards, fields and mountain slopes, covered with colorful carpets of colorful grasses, on the quaint steep stone cliffs of the canyon of the Azat River.
Strategically, Garni's location was also extremely well chosen.



Even in ancient times, there existed a cyclopean fortress - Berdshen (III millennium BC). According to the cuneiform record found on the territory of Garni, this fortress was conquered in the first half of the VIII century BC. the Urartian king Argishti I. During the era of Armenian rulers from the dynasty of Yervidy, Artashesid and Arshakids (from the 3rd century BC to the 4th century AD), Garni served as the residence of the kings and the place of residence of their troops.



Garni Fortress occupies, dominating the surrounding area, a triangular cape, enveloped by the river from two sides.

The deep gorge and steep slopes serve as a natural impregnable boundary, therefore, the fortress wall was erected only from the plain.

It is built of large basalt squares, laid flat dry and fastened with iron brackets, filled with lead.



Rhythmically spaced, rectangular towers in the plan and increasing the effectiveness of flank fire, the concave shape, the most vulnerable to the enemy, the middle of the northern wall, significantly increased the defenses of the fortress and at the same time enriched its architectural and artistic appearance.





The palace complex included several separately located buildings: a temple, front and column halls, a residential building, a bathhouse, etc.

They were located around the vast main square of the fortress, in its southern part, remote from the entrance gate, where they formed a kind of ensemble.

In the northern part, obviously, there were premises of attendants, tsarist guards and a garrison.
The top of the cape was occupied by a temple facing the square with the main northern facade. The temple is the art center of the complex, located on the main axis passing through the gates of the fortress.
The temple was built in the second half of the 1st century A.D. and is dedicated to the pagan deity, possibly the sun god Miter, whose figure stood in the depths of the sanctuary - Naos.

After the proclamation of the state religion - Christianity in Armenia in 301, the temple was probably used as a summer room for kings, referred to in the annals as the "house of coolness."
In style, the temple, which is a six-column peripter, is close to similar monuments in Asia Minor (Termez, Sagala, Pergamum), Syria (Baalbek) and Rome.

It is mainly made in Hellenistic architectural forms, but local traditions are also reflected in it. It should be noted that the type of a rectangular building with columns and a pediment was known on the territory of the Armenian Highlands back in the era of the Urartians.
Another significant building in terms of artistic merit and size (about 15x40m) was a two-story palace, located to the west of the temple.

On the north side of the square there is a bathhouse built in the 3rd century, which included at least five rooms for various purposes: the first apsidal room from the east served as a cloakroom, the second from a cold bath, the third from warm and the fourth from hot water.

There was a water tank with a furnace compartment in the basement.

The floors of burnt bricks, covered with a layer of polished knock, rested on round pillars and were heated from below with hot air with smoke coming underground from the firebox.
Fragments of two-layer plaster: the lower — white and upper — light pink colors, as well as the floors with the remains of a stone mosaic of fifteen shades, give an idea of the interior decoration.

The mosaic of the cloakroom floor mosaic, dating back to the 3rd-4th centuries, is an especially interesting mosaic, an outstanding example of monumental painting in Armenia.

The plot of the mosaic (area 2.91 x 3.14 m) is borrowed from Greek mythology.
On a light green background of the sea, images of the gods of the Ocean and the Sea are surrounded by fish, Nereids and ichthyocentaurs.

A wide strip of pink color runs along the perimeter of the mosaic.

The tonal transitions of the water surface give the impression of the movement of waves.

Greek inscriptions introduce the names of deities and Nereids, expertly executed with knowledge of the anatomical constructions of the figures.

A peculiar interpretation of human figures depicted with oriental faces.

The Greek inscription above the heads of the gods is interesting: "Work hard, not getting anything."