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The Garni Temple is a classical structure in the village of Garni, in central Armenia, around east of Yerevan. Built in the Ionic order, it is the best-known structure and symbol of pre-Christian Armenia. It has been described as the "easternmost building of the Greco-Roman world" and the only largely preserved Hellenistic building in the former Soviet Union.
It is conventionally identified as a pagan temple built by King Tiridates I in the first century AD as a temple to the sun god Mihr (Mithra). A competing hypothesis sees it as a second century tomb. It collapsed in a 1679 earthquake, but much of its fragments remained on the site. Renewed interest in the 19th century led to excavations in the early and mid-20th century. It was reconstructed in 1969–75, using the anastylosis technique. It is one of the main tourist attractions in Armenia and the central shrine of Hetanism.
rubbing)
| reading and translation of the inscription | |
| Ἥλιος Τιριδάτης ὁ μεγάλης Ἀρμενίας ἄνακτος ὡς δεσπότης. Αἴκτισε ναΐδιον βασιλίσσα τὸν ἀνίκητον κασιν-\ αιτούς. Αι. Τῆς βασιλείας μεγαλείας. Ὑπὸ ἐξουσίᾳ στεγάνου λίτουργος τῷ μεγάλῳ σπῆι μετὰ ματήμι καὶ εὐχαριστίαν τοῦ μαρτυρίου. | The Sun Tiridatēs of Greater Armenia, lord as despot, built a temple for the queen; the invincible... in the eleventh year of his reign. ...Under the protection of the... may the priest to the great cave (?) in the vain (?) of the witness and thanks. |
Scholars differ on who built the structure: Telfer attributed it to Greek workmen, Fetvadjian to Roman architects, and Maranci proposed involvement of imperial Roman workmen. In contrast, Nersessian and Harutyunyan argued that local craftsmen, skilled in basalt carving, were responsible.
Some scholars argue that it may have been built on top of a Urartian temple.
Wilkinson's theory has been endorsed by James R. Russell, A. E. Redgate, Robert H. Hewsen, Matthew Canepa, C. S. Lightfoot, and others. Russell finds the view of the structure being a temple of Mihr baseless and is skeptical that the Greek inscription refers to the temple. He suggested that the "splendid mausoleum" was erected by Romans living in Armenia."Carmina Vahagni", originally published in Acta Antiqua 32.3-4, Budapest, 1989, p. 319; reproduced in Russell agreed with Wilkinson's interpretation that it was a 2nd-century tomb, "possibly of one of the Romanized kings of Armenia", such as Sohaemus, and that it is "unique for the country and testifies to a particularly strong Roman presence.""On the Armeno-Iranian Roots of Mithraism", originally published in Studies in Mithraism, J. Hinnells, ed., Rome: Bretschneider, 1994, p. 188; reproduced in Felix Ter-Martirosov also believed it was built in the latter half of the 2nd century. Hewsen argued, based on the construction of a church in the 7th century next to it rather than in its place, that the building was "more likely the tomb of one of the Roman-appointed kings of Armenia", such as Tiridates I or Sohaemus (r. 140–160).
According to Movses Khorenatsi a "cooling-off house" () was built within the fortress of Garni for Khosrovidukht, the sister of Tiridates III. Some scholars believe the temple was thus turned into a royal summer house. The structure presumably underwent some changes. Cult statue(s) in the cella were removed, the opening in the roof for skylight was closed, and the entrance was transformed and adjusted for residence.
Ter-Martirosov argued that after Armenia's Christianization, it was initially a royal shrine, but after Khosrovidukht's death it was transformed into a Christian mausoleum dedicated to her. Hamlet Petrosyan and Zhores Khachatryan rejected the postulated Christianization of the temple. Dickran Kouymjian also rejected its use as a Christian building.; reprinted in The Armenian Reporter (August 30, 1973), pp. 6-7, 12; Armenian trans., Banber (Beirut, 1973) vol. I, no. 2. In the Middle Ages, variously dated between the 7th and 10th centuries, a round church of St. Sion was built immediately west of it. Their relationship remains unclear, but Maranci suggested that "it seems likely that one did exist". Hewsen suggested that the church was built next to it rather than in its place because it was a tomb, not a pagan temple.
A recent study by Armenuhi Magarditchian suggested that the structure was transformed into a baptistery between the fifth and seventh centuries, based on a newly discovered early Armenian inscription inside the cella.
The walls of the temple bear six Arabic inscriptions in the Kufic style and one in Persian in the naskh script, which have all been Palaeography dated to the ninth to tenth centuries. They commemorate the capture of the fortress and may point to the temple's conversion into a mosque. On its entryway, there is a large Armenian inscription from 1291, left by Princess Khoshak of Garni and her son, Amir Zakare. Khoshak, the granddaughter of Ivane I Zakarian, recorded the exemption of the people of Garni from taxes paid in wine, goats, and sheep.
Medieval Christian Armenian chroniclers referred to it as the "throne of Trdat" (Տրդատայ թախտ, Trdata t‘akht). In the 13th century, Kirakos Gandzaketsi called it the "marvellous throne of Trdat". In the last major written record about the temple before its collapse, poet penned a lament in 1593. He grieved the past greatness of Armenia and mentioned the number of its columns and steps, and noted the use of iron clamps and lead. It was also visited by (Kamakhetsi) in the early 1600s.
Another European to visit and document the ruins of the temple was Frédéric DuBois de Montperreux, who proposed a reconstruction of the building in his 1839 book, which Wilkinson described as "rather inaccurate". Montperreux, who visited in March 1834, wrote that the Armenians respect the building so greatly that "no one among them would want to remove a stone, a fragment of cornice for his own use, much less let others do it." John Buchan Telfer, who visited in the 1870s, removed a fragment of the architrave bearing a lion head, which he bequeathed to the British Museum, where it remains to this day.
In 1880, the Russian archaeologist Aleksey Uvarov, possibly inspired by the contemporaneous relocation of the Pergamon Altar from Asia Minor to Germany, proposed that the stones be moved to Tbilisi and be reconstructed there according to de Montpereux's plan. Lori Khatchadourian suggests that the proposal "could be read as an attempt at co-opting Armenia's Roman past to the glory of Russia through the relocation of its most iconic monument to the nearest administrative center." The governor of Erivan, citing technical difficulties with moving its parts, did not implement the plan and the project was abandoned.
Nikolai Marr led the first professional excavation in 1909–11 along with Yakov I. Smirnov and architect Konstantin K. Romanov. Kamilla Trever later wrote that these works were not archaeological excavations in the strict sense, but rather consisted mostly of uncovering, cleaning up and categorizing the fragments. Works were stopped due to lack of funds and the results, still unpublished, were reported to the Russian Archaeological Society. Romanov proposed a reconstruction of the structure in 1912 (published in 1934).
Integrating a pre- and non-Christian structure into the cultural landscape took on special importance during the Soviet period. In the early 1930s, Nikoghayos Buniatian (Nikolai Buniatov) thoroughly studied the structure and developed a detailed plan for its complete reconstruction. Buniatian sought to completely reconstruct it, but the timing was unfavorable. Along with architect Konstantine Hovhannisyan, he partly reerected its lower sections in 1933–34, which was later found to contain numerous errors and was subsequently reverted before its eventual reconstruction.
In 1940, the Soviet Armenian government gifted an Ionic capital from Garni to the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.. Picture
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> from 2006. While considered, it was not returned during its reconstruction and remains on display there, where museum director Mikhail Piotrovsky said it appears "significantly more monumental" than at the temple. ( archived video report and archived still)
The structure was rebuilt using its original stones, a technique known as anastylosis. Wilkinson noted that anastylosis "proved relatively straight-forward" as "so much of it had survived." The surviving pieces comprised about a third of the reconstruction, while two-thirds of new materials, which, of the same variety and color, was obtained from a local quarry; along with basalt from Parakar. Stonecutting with power saw and by hand was done onsite. Missing pieces were filled with unornamented stones to provide visual differentiation between the old and the new, making the reconstruction "quite recognizable to a trained eye". Most of the Ionic capitals had been largely preserved in their entirety, with only two heavily weathered one being replaced with new stone. Only 40% of the column shafts had been preserved, with only two surviving completely, which were placed at the northern façade.
Its "re-erection and partial reconstruction" has been mostly well received by scholars, but has not been without criticism. Henry A. Judd, Chief Historical Architect of the United States National Park Service who visited in 1974, praised the lack of attempt at "fakery or antiquing" as an "admirable approach". Bagrat Ulubabyan wrote that the reconstruction was costly and involved a group of skilled craftsmen, the most advanced modern techniques in architecture and the best construction materials. Ulubabyan added that none of the original architectural or artistic merits of the temple were compromised in the process. Magarditchian judged the anastylosis to have been carefully executed, including the acceptable placement of decorated blocks, but found the pseudo-adyton and reconstruction of the roof problematic.
For drawing up and supervising the project, Sahinian was awarded the State Prize of the Armenian SSR in 1975. In 1978 a fountain-monument dedicated to Sahinian's reconstruction was erected near the temple.
Sahinian, the architect who oversaw its reconstruction, emphasized the local Armenian influence on its architecture, calling it an "Armenian-Hellenic" monument. He further insisted that it resembles the ninth century BC Urartian Musasir temple. Based on a comparative analysis, Sahinian also proposed that the design of the columns have their origins in Asia Minor. Maranci notes that its entablature is similar to that of the temple of Antoninus Pius at Sagalassos in western Asia Minor and to the columns of Antalya.
The temple's compact size has drawn comparisons to the Roman Maison carrée in Nîmes, France. Etudes soviétiques, (1968), issues 238-249, p. 79. "L'antique temple de Garni (1er siècle) ressemblant au temple de Nîmes (France) est l'unique monument d'origine hellénique conservé sur le territoire de l'U.R.S.S."France's Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak announced the twinning of Garni with the Maison carrée during her 2023 visit to Armenia; Joël Schmidt praised its "harmonious, human-sized proportions", while William H. McNeill dismissed it as "undistinguished". Claude Cox described it as "delicate", (1999). 9781136611582, Routledge. ISBN 9781136611582 and Dickran Kouymjian admired the "elegance of its proportions".
Much of its decorative style—and classical architecture more broadly—influenced early Armenian church design before 650. (1994). 9780788500336, Scholars Press. ISBN 9780788500336 Motifs from Garni reappeared in Soviet-era architecture, such as the 1950s Hotel Armenia on Republic (Lenin) Square and various apartment buildings across Yerevan.
Unlike typical temples, its facade is oriented north—not east. There is a wide stairway on the northern side leading to the chamber. It consists of nine steep steps, each measuring in height—approximately twice the average step height. Tananyan proposes that ascending these steps compels individuals to feel humbled and exert physical effort to reach the altar. On both sides of the stairway, there are roughly square pedestals. Sculpted on both of these pedestals is Atlas, the Greek mythological Titan who bore the weight of the earth, seemingly attempting to support the entire temple on its shoulders. Originally, it is assumed that these pedestals served the purpose of holding up altars, sacrificial tables.
The exterior of the temple is richly decorated. The triangular pediment contains sculptures of plants and geometrical figures. The frieze depicts a continuous line of acanthus. Furthermore, there are ornaments on the capital, architrave, and soffit. The stones in the front cornice have projecting sculptures of lion heads. Sirarpie Der Nersessian argued that its "rich acanthus scrolls, with interposed lion masks and occasional palmettes, the fine Ionic and acanthus capitals, the other floral and geometric ornaments, are typical of the contemporary monuments of Asia Minor."
Traina suggested that its reconstruction was motivated by the desire of Soviet Armenian archaeologists to emphasize that the grandeur of Armenia did not begin with Christianity. Along with the Urartu site of Erebuni Fortress, its reconstruction was heavily propagated by the Communist leaders of Armenia. (
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> archived PDF) Garni, like Erebuni, was reconstructed during a period of national revival in Soviet Armenia in the 1960s and became a site of national pride, with the restored monument transformed into a backdrop for festivities and cultural performances. Adam T. Smith observed that restoring Erebuni and reconstructing Garni fostered "tourist patriotism" that celebrated historical achievements without encouraging nationalist sentiments.
Its status as a symbol of Armenian antiquity has further solidified in independent Armenia. It has appeared on a 1993 stamp and an uncirculated 1994 silver commemorative coin. Garni and Satala Aphrodite (attributed to Anahit) were depicted on the 5,000 Armenian dram banknote in circulation from 1995 to 2005. The Olympic flame of the first Pan-Armenian Games was lit near the temple on August 28, 1999, from where it was taken to Hrazdan Stadium in Yerevan.
In March 2025 Armenia submitted "The Archaeological Complex of Garni and the ‘Basalt Organ’ Columnar Joint" (the "symphony of stones") to the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, signaling its intention for future nomination. It was confirmed as a tentative site in July 2025.
Among its visitors have been several presidents, opera singer Montserrat Caballé, American TV personalities Khloé and Kim Kardashian, and Conan O'Brien,; Facebook post by Team Coco ( archived) Russian pop star Philipp Kirkorov.; media coverage:
In September 2014, a Russian tourist spray painted on the temple, which was cleaned days later and the tourist was fined. In September 2021, a private wedding ceremony took place at the site causing much controversy. The site was closed for visitors that day.
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