St. Sarkis Armenian Church Consecrated in Dallas

The church employs state-of-the-art materials and digitally driven design and fabrication processes to extend the cultural legacy of Armenia into the present day. Contemporary materials and technologies include double-curved, glass-fiber-reinforced concrete light coves that illuminate the interior, digitally modeled and fabricated glass-fiber-reinforced gypsum vaults that shape the interior space, and the intricate digitally printed porcelain facade that surrounds the church entrance.

The façade of the Church, designed in Hotson’s office in collaboration with Yerevan-trained designer Ani Sahakyan, extends this use of emerging technologies further by employing a unique process, developed by Italian manufacturer Fiandre, of printing at high resolution on the UV-resistant exterior-grade porcelain panels which are cover the entire entry facade. The architects developed a computer script to generate 1.5 million individual icons, each only 3/8” in diameter and each based on the circular rosettes that occur throughout the Armenian artistic tradition. These individualized icons spread out to cover the entire facade.

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When seen from a distance, the tiny icons merge to form interwoven geometrical and botanical ornaments, and these ornamental patterns in turn merge to form the distinctive figure of the Armenian cross that stretches across the facade. The 1.5 million individual icons covering the facade and merging to form the Armenian cross create a powerful memorial to the one-and-a-half million individual martyrs who perished in the Armenian Genocide.

When we enter the sanctuary, there are designated areas for lighting candles and for solitary prayers to be said.

In the Church of Saint Sarkis, the masonry architecture of St. Hripsime, which is made of solid stone, has been reinterpreted as a system of indirect lighting coves which admit natural light to illuminate the interior sanctuary. The strong Texas sunlight is reflected through openings sculpted into the exterior which allow only indirect light to reach the interior. Both the curvilinear light coves on the exterior and the curvilinear plaster vaults on the interior were created using contemporary, digitally designed, glass-fiber-reinforced concrete, and gypsum materials. The light fills these vaults above the congregation, bringing illumination to the congregational seating area. Natural light is brought down to ground level at the baptismal font, the secondary altars, and the votive altars at the corners of the sanctuary where candles are lit, and prayers are offered. Indirect natural light is focused most intensely on the main altar which is raised six steps above the main sanctuary floor in accordance with Armenian tradition. There is no visible overhead lighting.

The church has a state-of-the-art heating and cooling system, and the vents are placed out of view under the pews. The sanctuary is kept at the same temperature throughout. There is a loft where the organ is located and where the choir will lift their voices, singing the traditional sharagans (hymns).