Armenian Church, Chisinau

According to some sources, the Armenian church in Chisinau was built on the ruins of an ancient Moldovan temple which burned down along with the rest of the city in 1739. The new, Armenian church was built in its place in 1804.

The architectural plan, featuring the nave with semicircular apse and the bell tower bunk extension to the west, reveals XVIII century construction style. The church's main body represents an elongated box rounded to the east and the high bell tower over the west porch, culminating with a tent ceiling. Typically Armenian are the south aisle arches with decorative columns and clean masonry walls. In 1817 two porticoes were added to the church's porch – a three-arched one to the south and a single-arched to the east and west. Their style differs substantially from the rest of the building. Particularly prominent are the portico arches, designed as lancet arches, with peculiar Arab columns and capitals.

The walls, floors and buttresses of the church are made of brick and stone, and are plastered. The foundation is made of quarry-stone. The portico walls – light and dark gray in color – are of pure cut stone. On the outside the church appears solid and monumental. Complementing the main building are the nearby utility structures, together forming a beautiful architectural ensemble.