An international committee of architects and engineers has selected an Armenian Orthodox church in Texas as the best building in the United States. The church was reportedly selected with its architectural design.
A report from the Christian Post stated that in 2022, World-Architects selected Saint Sarkis Armenian Church, located north of Dallas, as the best architectural work in the United States. World-Architects is an online publisher with national and regional platforms representing architects, architectural photographers, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, lighting designers, and manufacturers from over 50 countries.
The church grounds encompass more than 4.5 acres and are home to three distinct buildings: the main church building and sanctuary, a gymnasium and youth center, and a hall that houses offices, classes, and a kitchen.
The architecture of what is widely regarded as the world's first Christian nation, Armenia, which converted to Christianity in the early third century, is reflected in the sanctuary building, designed by architect David Hotson and harkens back to that nation's architecture.
According to World Architects, the Church of Saint Sarkis in Carrollton, Texas, is patterned after the ancient church of Saint Hripsime, which still stands 8,000 miles to the east near the old seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Etchmiadzin, within the modern Republic of Armenia.
The Armenian homeland, located in the South Caucasus, once encompassed Mount Ararat, the tallest mountain in the Middle East, where Noah's ark is thought to have rested after the biblical flood. In 301 A.D., the Kingdom of Armenia became the world's first nation to convert to Christianity, sixty years before Emperor Constantine made Christianity the Roman Empire's official religion.
In this seismically active location, the Church of Saint Hripsime has sheltered Armenian congregations for fourteen centuries through the rise and fall of the Byzantine, Greek, Ottoman, Persian, Roman, Russian, and Soviet Empires. It symbolizes the resilience and continuation of the Armenian people's language, religion, and traditions. Remembering the faraway Armenian homeland from which the ancestors of many congregation members were ruthlessly driven during the Armenian genocide in 1915, the Saint Sarkis church faces west and overlooks the expansive Texas horizon.
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As per St. Sarkis Armenian Orthodox Church, St. Sarkis is the church's namesake and was a fourth-century Roman soldier persecuted for his Christian faith who sought safety in Armenia. He was from a settlement in the Cappadocian lowlands and was a courageous and devoted soldier in the army of the Christian Emperor Constantine. When Julian the Apostate became emperor in the year 361 A.D. and began persecuting Christians, however, Sarkis and his son Mardiros sought shelter under the protection of King Tiran of Armenia. From there, he joined the Persian army, where he and his son converted many soldiers to Christianity.
However, Persia's religious officials quickly learned about Sarkis and attempted to force him and his kid to worship their gods. Due to his refusal to worship pagan idols, the spiritual authority of Persia executed him and his wife. Fourteen of his loyal soldiers were resolved to bury the general's remains, even at considerable risk. They were committed because of their religion. In addition, St. Sarkis, his son, and the faithful warriors are honored annually by the Armenian church on the third Saturday before the beginning of Lent.