Through the seventh-century description of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem by the Armenian pilgrim Hovsp, this thesis explores the notion of sacred space and architecture through the lens of an Armenian perspective. The Holy Sepulchre stands as a central monument of Christianity and as a model for architectural copies in the Early Middle Ages. Hovsp describes the structure in a manner ... read morethat utilizes his Armenian experience, providing scholars with an alternative approach to the church. Since his text has not yet been used in a manner that explores the relationship between Hovsp, the Holy Sepulchre, and Armenian architecture, this thesis begins to fill the gap in order to call attention to the pilgrim and his important text. By incorporating Richard Krautheimer's theory of medieval architectural copies and Robert Thomson's work with Armenian architectural symbolism, Hovsp's text helps to draw broader connections in the early medieval Christian world.read less
