Features of the construction tecniques of Ani masters. Walls and point supports

Introduction. The construction technique of the master-builders is a little-studied aspect of the architectural heritage of the medieval Armenian capital of Ani (961–945). The author of the article proposes to answer a number of questions related to changes in masonry of the walls, pylons and pillars and the device of the columns, with the advent of new forms of socles on the monuments of the metropolitan school of architecture in the Bagratid era. Materials and methods. The information from publications and from own observations allows for the testing between changes in building technique and architectural decisions. The limitation of the material to the structures of walls and supports does not exclude references to the relationship of these elements with coverings, which peculiarities will be disclosed in subsequent publications. Results. Ani masters have developed a traditional masonry with inextricably connected three leyers: outside stone and internal rubble concrete. The main Ani architect Trdat used the combination of the wall structure with the frame system, while the internal design of the concrete core has been preserved around the entire perimeter of the building, with enlargements in places of еру weighting’s concentration. Stone blocks by the end of the 10th century became narrower, up to 0.3 m deep, but the rows of laying walls and pillars alternated, up to 1.5–2 m, which led to the use of vertically oriented blocks. In line with the development of the blind arcade order, facades of the churches of the 1020–1030s were laid out on this kind of slabs. Depending on the architect of each building, the achievements in the number of laying rows for the height of the order pilaster was introduced. A sharp rise in the round columns in the church of St. Gregory Gagkashen in comparison with its prototype, the VII century church of Zvartnots, the nature of the wall socles and other features of the Ani monuments were not covered with the help of useful economic or technical problems. Conclusions. Most of the changes of features of the masonry of the walls and pillars, as well as of the columns in Ani of the Bagratid era correspond to their direct dependence on the architectural design and lead to the achievement of a certain architectural image.