St. Sargis Vicarial Church
Reinforced-concrete-framed sanctuary rebuilt after a 1679 earthquake, its tufa facade concealing a 1970s engineering rework.
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About this audio guide
This guide to St. Sargis Vicarial Church in Yerevan centers on a 1971 puzzle facing architect Rafayel Israyelian: the church needed to grow taller with a new upper gallery, but its historic stone walls, rebuilt after the earthquake that leveled the site in 1679, could never bear the added weight. You'll hear about the hidden fix he devised, built in front of the old stonework while services carried on inside undisturbed. Israyelian died in 1973 before it was finished, and architect Ardzroun Galikian saw the plan through in 1976.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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