Talin Cathedral

The Cathedral of Talin (Surb Astvatsatsin) is a large domed church built in the 7th century in the town of Talin. Once among the most ambitious structures of early medieval Armenia, it combines a triple-apse plan with a once-soaring dome. Though partly ruined and long under restoration, the cathedral still impresses with its scale and its rare surviving frescoes—among the few early painted images preserved in Armenia. A smaller 7th-century church of Surb Astvatsatsin stands nearby. Set on the Shirak plain on the route toward Gyumri, Talin is a worthwhile and uncrowded stop for lovers of early architecture.