Zvartnots Cathedral

The ruins of a seventh-century Armenian cathedral near Vagharshapat, Zvartnots was built under Catholicos Nerses III between 641 and 661 CE and was among the largest and most architecturally complex churches of its era in the Caucasus. The circular plan with radiating apse chapels was an unusual design that influenced later Armenian church architecture, though the structure collapsed in the tenth century, likely from an earthquake. Archaeological excavations have revealed the column bases and decorative fragments in situ, and the site is now a UNESCO World Heritage property alongside the Etchmiadzin complex.