TOURINFO–January 18, 2022– Garni is a first-century Roman-style temple just east of the capital of Yerevan that has become one of the country’s most famous sites. On December 21, 2021, Travelogues (an online magazine from the Asia Travel experts at *Remote Lands) published an article referring to the Garni temple: Also on January 17, 2022, Belgian Le Vif Weekend online journal has published the list of the best architectural monuments relating to the heritage of the Ancient Roman Period (754/753 BC – 476 AD). The Armenian Temple of Garni is included in the list of the top 51 most beautiful monuments. It is the 37th on the list. The Temple of Garni is the only standing Greco-Roman colonnaded building in Armenia and the former Soviet Union. Built-in the Ionic order in the village of Garni, in central Armenia, it is the best-known structure and symbol of pre-Christian Armenia. The structure was built by king Tiridates I in the first century AD as a temple to the sun god Mihr.
Rome’s Colosseum tops the list of the most beautiful monuments in the world. The Colosseum is an oval amphitheater in the center of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheater ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheater in the world today, despite its age.
Armenia is a very Christian country. The cathedrals and monasteries all look how you think a religious building in Armenia should look. And then there’s Garni. For reasons no one can agree upon, there is a first-century pagan Roman-style temple just east of the capital of Yerevan. And it has slowly become one of the must-see sites in Armenia.
What?
Armenia is Christian today but its history goes back much further — with many of the buildings and structures built on old pagan structures. Some of these pagan structures, such as the dragon stones and Carahunge, remain a mystery. The huge Roman temple outside the country’s biggest city is no different.
Prevailing sources believe the temple was built by an ancient Armenian king somewhere around 77 CE. Christianity had not yet reached Armenia at this time, and Tiridates I who then ruled was a Zoroastrian priest. Tiridates is an important character in both the pagan and Christian history of not just Armenia but the world.
At the time he came to power the waning power of Rome under the notorious Nero was fighting the might of the Parthians. If indeed it was built in 77 CE, the style is hardly surprising. As a borderline client state of Rome at the time, Tiridates made a trip to Rome just 10 years previous where he would meet the mad emperor in Naples. His trip there is covered in detail in the writings of many Romans who record him as an intelligent and just king. During his visit, they even put on gladiatorial games.
His travels with the “magi” to the west are said by some to be the precursor to the dominance of the monotheistic Mithraism and the “christ child’s” three wise men visiting on the occasion of his birth. Whatever the reality, Tiridates made an impact on Rome (and Pliny the Elder) before heading home to his kingdom, and he brought with him a number of artisans who would likely go on to build the temple of Garni.
The temple would go on to be dedicated to the sun god Mihr but, of course, history is rarely kind and the building would undergo a number of destructive incidents. The first it had to survive was the complete destruction of all pagan structures in the wake of Christianity, namely under Tiridates III. The early Christians and subsequent invasions from the east were ruthless to such structures, and Garni is the only survivor in Armenia.
Over the next thousand years, rulers would trade modern-day Armenia and Garni would be a “cooling house”, perhaps a residence, and even the subject of ancient graffiti.
But in the seventeenth century, a devastating earthquake would finally bring Garni temple tumbling. Still, by the 1960s, nearly 80% of the original material remained and it was reconstructed to its original Hellenic form.
Today, it is a travel hotspot — and not just because it is a pretty (and weird) building. This has been the center of Hetanism — Armenian Neopaganism— for more than three decades.
This is where a number of pagan rituals are held each year, most notably the pagan New Year in March to celebrate the birth of the god of fire, Vahagn, also known as Vahagn the Dragon Reaper whose beard of fire and burning eyes helps to slay beasties. The summer festival of Vardavar where people douse each other in water is also recognized at the temple.
Almost 2,000 years have passed since Tiridates returned from Rome. He lives on in the words that mark the temple itself: “The Sun God Tiridates, uncontested king of Great Armenia, built the temple and the impregnable fortress.”
*Remote Lands is the collaboration of two inveterate travelers and entrepreneurs (Catherine and Jay) who have spent the better part of their lives studying and exploring Asia with a shared goal: to create the world’s best travel experiences without compromise.
Source: https://www.remotelands.com/travelogues/garni-the-roman-temple-in-armenia/
