Akdamar Island Armenian Church
Akdamar Memorial Museum is located on Akdamar Island, the second largest island of Lake Van, near the Gevaş district of Van. It was built as a palace church by Armenian Vaspurakan King Gagik Ardsruni I. It was built by the Architect Monk Manuel between 915-921. Akdamar Memorial Museum (Church), which fully reflects the cultural diversity and interaction of the Vaspurakan Kingdom, which ruled in Van and its surroundings between 908-1021, depending on the Abbasids, has an important place in the history of world architecture with its architecture and decorations. Akdamar Memorial Museum (Church), It has a square, corner niche, four-leaf clover plan, which is called the Hripsime type in Armenian architecture. The chapel to the northeast of the church was built in 1296-1336; west of the jamatun in 1763; The bell tower to the south was added at the end of the 18th century. The church was restored in 2005-2006 and opened as a memorial museum in 2007. The religious scenes taken from the Bible and the Torah are depicted in the figured stone reliefs that surround the facades of the church in various borders and are portrayed as sculptures in the middle and lower parts of the walls. Jesus and Mary, apostles, prophets, Armenian nobles, palace life, hunting scenes, figures from daily life, various animal, fruit, plant and geometric motifs are depicted.
