PLACES OF WORSHIP

Holy Mother of God Church is the main Russian Orthodox church building in Armenia. 1913-1916

Garrison churches played a certain role among the Russian churches of the Russian Empire, and in particular, Eastern Armenia. They were built in places where Russian garrisons were located. They were built according to a model project approved by the Russian construction commission in 1901 (architect: Fyodor Verzhbitsky). In the Russian Empire until 1917 69 churches were built according to this project.

In the territory of Armenia among the churches built according to F. Verzhbitsky's standard projects are the Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Virgin Mary in Kanaker (Церковь Покрова Пресвятой Богородицы, 1913-1916), the Church of the Holy Arsen of the Serbs or the Annunciation of the Lord located on the territory of the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri (1907-1910, Cossack post church, Церковь Св. Арсения Сербского, Церковь Богоявления).

Before the construction of the Russian Church of the Holy Virgin Mary, the mobile military (marching) Church of St. Alexander Nevsky of the 1st Poltava Regiment of the Kuban Cossack Army existed in the Russian military base in the village of Kanaker, founded in 1882. Since 1905 it has been located in one of the barracks. It was consecrated on January 29, 1906.

To meet the spiritual needs of the 700 officers and soldiers of the Poltava Regiment, the current Holy Mother of God Church was built in 1913-1916 according to the standard project of F. Verzhbitsky, which remained part of the Russian military unit in Kanaker for about a century (at the address: Zakaria Sarkavag Street, 117-123).

Construction was supervised by Vasili Mirzoyan. During the Soviet era, the building was used as a military hospital, club, cinema, and warehouse.

Reopened in 1991. Restored in 2000 and separated from the military complex.

Holy Mother of God Church is a spacious structure, externally emphasized by a pentagonal apse and four sacristies. The facades are notable for their rich decorative ornamentation, prominently featuring characteristic elements of Russian ecclesiastical architecture. The three entrances (northern, southern, western) are emphasized, with their rectangular openings crowned by murals. The interior walls are plastered, and the floor is tiled. Twin domes rise at the eastern and western ends of the tin-covered roof, which were renovated in the early 2010s without consideration for their original appearance.

It is built of orange, polished tuff, in a midis masonry. Its dimensions are 35.9 × 15.7 m.

In 2004, in the churchyard, to the right of the entrance, in the spirit of traditional Russian Orthodox architecture, the chapel of the Holy Cross (“To the Army of Holy Russia”, ”Воинству Святой Руси”), rising on four columns, was built in the spirit of traditional Russian Orthodox architecture, dedicated to the fallen Russian soldiers. The patrons are the former mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov and the former head of the “Electric Networks of Armenia” company, Yevgeny Gladunchik. The area around the church has been improved and tiled, and the area has been fenced.

It is located at 68 Zakaria Sarkavagi Street.