Toros Toramanian

"[1] Christina Maranci credited him with "establishing the practical foundation for the study of Armenian architecture with his "extensive field work, measurements, plans, and photographs.

From 1896 to 1900, he lived in Bulgaria, engaged in construction, designing several buildings, mainly for wealthy Armenians (the Manukians, Sargis Fadyan, Daniel Bulgharatsi, etc.).

For this purpose, in 1900, he visited Greece, then Egypt and Italy to personally acquaint himself with the architectural masterpieces of the ancient world.

However, in the spring of the same year, upon the suggestion of Karapet Pasmachyan, a Paris-based Armenian scholar, he traveled with him to Ani for three months to conduct research.

It was for this reason that Toramanian decided to stay in Ani and personally study the stone heritage of the Armenian people.

The realization of this decision was facilitated by the presence of the famous Russian-Georgian archaeologist Nikolai Marr in Ani, who was conducting excavations for the second time.

In the article, Toramanian proposed his reconstruction of the temple, suggesting it was a three-story domed structure with a flat plan.

Toramanian's theory was met with suspicion by Armenian society, sparking many disputes, simply because such a structure had never been seen before, and it was extremely unusual for that time.

The disputes finally ended when Marr discovered a statue of King Gagik holding a model of the temple during excavations of St. Gregory's Church in Gagikashen, Ani.

He studied, measured, and photographed the entire architectural heritage of its ruins, including churches, palaces, walls, etc., and carried out the reconstruction of some of them.

The extensive work he accomplished, despite numerous challenges, can be compared to the efforts of an entire scientific research institution.