Ani - Church of the Holy Apostles

(Local Name: Mestaba Kervansaray) The Church of the Holy Apostles in Ani, a badly ruined church, square in plan, with four conchas and two entrances, was originally built in 1031. It had smaller domed chambers with their own apses between the main apses and the outer walls. The church, altered and extended after 1064, was converted by the Seljuks into a caravanserai and tax office (mestaba kervansaray). Parts of the centrally-planned building, and also the later hall, survive. Typical Seljuk stalactitic ornamentation and decorative borders are still clearly visible in places, particularly in the southeast portal (note the Armenian inscriptions) and the dome. The black and red stone church is decorated with star motifs and embellished with spiral columns. South of the church (which is also called St John's Church, or Arak Elots Kilisesi) there is a further tomb-like structure.