St. Gregory Church is one of the most important historical buildings within the city walls of Ani. There is also an inscription in the building that provides a lot of important information about its history. According to this book, St. Gregory Church is a work built by Prince Krikor from the Armenian Bahlavuni Dynasty. The reason why Prince Krikor built the church was that it was a hermitage for his sister Seda and brother Hamze. According to the inscription, the young prince dedicated the church to St. Gregory the Illuminator, after whom it was named.

st. Gregory Church was built in 994 AD. However, as a result of the arrangements and additions carried out in the future, it gained a much more modern structure and was dressed in the appearance of the church models with apse of the 17th century. There are also many inscriptions in the church that provide important information about the history of the Turks in the region. To give an example, in one of these inscriptions, the names of Armenian heroes who lost their lives in a war between the Seljuks and Armenians in 1047 are frequently mentioned. Among these heroes, Vahram Bahlavuni is the most mentioned name and his deeds.

Come on now St. Let's talk a little bit about the architecture of the Gregory Church.

Architecture of Gregory's Church

The massive walls of the building, which was built as a centrally planned church, exhibit one of the best examples of stone chipping work in the world. The walls are lightened by triangular niches. The illumination of the place of worship is also provided by means of 6 thin and long windows opening to these places. The top of the church is covered by a conical roof with a very high rim. There are 12 windows on this roof as well.

st. Gregory Church was built as a church that appeals to the dynastic family rather than a public church, and was used for this purpose until the Turks settled in the region. For this reason, there are also the tombs of the members of the Armenian Bahlavuni Dynasty in the lands belonging to the church.

st. The last major restoration of the Gregory Church was carried out by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2012. During these restoration works, the cleaning of the fillings around the building was largely successful. During this cleaning process, many ceramic artifacts were unearthed along with bones belonging to members of the Armenian Dynasty. st. Gregory Church, on the other hand, was carried out by Pamukkale University.


st. Gregory Church attracts great attention from Orthodox Christians, especially citizens of Armenia. However, it is one of the important stops of many local tourists who are closely related to the history of art in Kars trips. st. Gregori Church is a relatively easy place to reach, as it is located within the walls of Ani. Bus services are organized twice a day from Kars city center to this region, where the church is located. However, travelers who wish can have the opportunity to witness this historical structure with their own eyes by renting a car from Emr Car Rental Kars branch. Hope to see you again with Emr Car Rental at our next Kars tour stop. Goodbye.