The Church of the Holy Apostles in Kars

The Church of the Holy Apostles, also known as the Cathedral of Kars, stands in the Armenian city of Kars, which is under the rule of Turkey. It was built in the 10th century during the reign of King Abas I of the Bagratid dynasty.

In 1579, after the Ottomans captured Kars, the church was turned into a mosque called Kümbet Camii (“domed mosque”). After the Russo-Turkish war of 1877–1878 Kars passed to Russia, and the building became a Russian Orthodox church. After Kars passed to the Republic of Turkey in 1920, the building was used for various purposes and then became a mosque again.

The church is a cross-shaped building with four semicircular arms and a central dome, a feature characteristic of Armenian architecture. According to the source, its walls once bore reliefs of the 12 apostles of Christ, after whom the church was named. The photograph shows the dark stone building with reliefs on the round base of the dome and a grass-covered conical roof.