The Temple of Garni (Armenian: Գառնիի տաճար, Gaṙnii tačar)] is the only standing Greco-Roman colonnaded building in Armenia and the former Soviet Union. Built in the Ionic order, it is located in the village of Garni, in central Armenia, around 30 km (19 mi) east of Yerevan. It is the best-known structure and symbol of pre-Christian Armenia.
Temple of Garni
The temple in 2021
Location within Armenia
General informationStatusMuseum (part of a larger protected area)
occasional Hetanist (neopagan) shrineTypePagan temple or tomb. Architectural styleAncient Greek, Ancient Roman. Location Garni, Kotayk Province, ArmeniaCoordinates40.112421°N 44.730277°E Elevation1,400 m (4,600 ft)[3]Completed1st or 2nd century AD. Management Armenian Ministry of Culture Height10.7 metres (35 ft). Technical details Material Basalt Size15.7 by 11.5 m (52 by 38 ft). Design and construction Architect(s) Alexander Sahinian (reconsutrction, 1969–75)
The structure was probably built by king Tiridates I in the first century AD as a temple to the sun god Mihr. After Armenia's conversion to Christianity in the early fourth century, it was converted into a royal summer house of Khosrovidukht, the sister of Tiridates III. According to some scholars it was not a temple but a tomb and thus survived the destruction of pagan structures. It collapsed in a 1679 earthquake. Renewed interest in the 19th century led to excavations at the site in early and mid-20th century, and its eventual reconstruction between 1969 and 1975, using the anastylosis method. It is one of the main tourist attractions in Armenia and the central shrine of Hetanism (Armenian neopaganism).
