The Cathedral, Ani Ruins, Kars, Eastern Anatolia, Turkey - Stockfoto

The Cathedral, also known as Surp Asdvadzadzin (the Church of the Holy Mother of God), situated in ancient Armenian city of Ani, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Kars province, eastern Anatolia, Turkey, next to the closed border with Armenia. The construction of the Cathedral was started in the year 989, under King Smbat II. The design of the cathedral was the work of Trdat, the most celebrated architect of medieval Armenia. The cathedral is a domed basilica (the dome collapsed in 1319). The interior contains several progressive features (such as the use of pointed arches and clustered piers) that give to it the appearance of Gothic architecture (a style which the Ani cathedral predates by several centuries).