St. Sarkis Church, Armenian Orthodox church in Ganja, Azerbaijan
St. Sarkis is an Armenian Orthodox church in Ganja with a central dome resting on a cylindrical drum pierced by four windows. The building displays typical features of Armenian religious architecture with carefully proportioned structural elements.
The church was built during a period when Armenians formed an established community in Ganja and developed their religious architecture. It stands as evidence of the long presence of Armenian Christianity in this region.
Before Lent, Armenian women of Ganja brought wheat porridge to the church to be blessed and lit candles there, as recorded in accounts of local practice. The building later served as a "Chamber of Friendship of Peoples" during the Soviet period. Today it houses a branch of the centralized library system, numbered 13-14.
The building is no longer a functioning church but a branch of Ganja's Centralized Library System, No. 13-14, at 9 Ganja Street Lane. Visitors should address staff at the library rather than expecting worship times or religious etiquette. The red-brick structure with its dome and columns is best viewed from outside.
The church stands on the grounds of the former Armenian cemetery at the edge of Norashen, and a written account from 1881 records it as a pilgrimage site. Before Lent, Armenian women of Ganja brought blessed wheat porridge and lit candles there.
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