Saturday, December 26, 2009

St. Gregory The illuminator Armenian Orthodox Church

An astonishing modern cathedral in Armenia. I can do no better than quote the text provided by nersess on flickr.

The consecration of the foundations of the Cathedral of St. Gregory the illuminator in Yerevan City was carried out in 1996 by His Holiness Vazken I of blessed memory Catholicos of All Armenians. The construction works started in January 1997 according to the design of the honoured architect, Stephan Kyurkchian.
The Cathedral is a complex consisting of three churches: the Cathedral (Main Church) with 1700 seats and the Chapels of St. Drtad the King and of St. Ashkhen the Queen (both with 150 seats). The belfry with more than 30 arches and the court that will serve as a vestibule to all the churches are located at the entrance of the Cathedral. The halls for both the receptions and church-related activities are provided on the lower floor of the Main Church.
The Complex has been entirely built by the method of monolithic reinforced concrete construction; the orange tufa-stone from Ani, the historical capital of Armenia, has been used for the facing of the Cathedral. The consecration of the Cathedral - the symbol of the 1700th anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity as a state religion in Armenia - was carried out on September 23, 2001 by His Holiness Karekin II Catholicos of All Armenians, and now, with its whole beauty and majesty, it is visible from the numerous corners of Yerevan.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Helena Cathedral


Helena Cathedral
Originally uploaded by
Gonzuller
What a wonderful picture this is, and a surprise perhaps that this is the USA.
Begun in 1908 to the designs of A O Von Herbulis, the cathedral was not completed until 1924. The twin spires recall the Votive Church in Vienna, but the south tower had to be rebuilt after being almost destroyed in the series of earthquakes which shook Montana in 1935. Inside a wonderful series of stained glass windows, all made by F X Zetler in Munich, Germany.