Digitally preserving Armenia’s Christian heritage

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 29 August 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

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Summary

In the ancient Yererouk Basilica in Armenia, near the border with Turkey, young engineers are using 3D digital technology to scan every part of the building. The aim is to recreate the church on a screen, in full-colour and in three dimensions. This is the digital preservation initiative, created by TUMO, the Center for Creative Technologies, based in Armenia’s capital Yerevan. It is training young Armenians to use new technology and also to connect them to their their 2000-year-old Armenian Christian heritage. In 2023, the country lost control of numerous important religious sites, when the province of Nagorno-Karabakh was taken over by neighbouring Muslim Azerbaijan. The mountainous enclave, known as Artsakh to Armenians, has long been a disputed territory between the two countries. Despite the new peace agreement signed recently, the province is still closed to Armenians. International observers using satellite technology say dozens of important Christian sites have been damaged or destroyed. Julia Paul travels to Armenia to find out how drones and lasers are helping young Armenians to connect to and preserve their ancient Christian heritage. This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Heart and Soul, exploring personal approaches to spirituality from around the world.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm in the ruins of an ancient church in Armenia in the baking heat of summer.
0:10.1	So we are here at the Basilica of Yerheuik.
0:13.1	I'm around an hour and a half northwest of Armenia's capital Yerevan, near the border with Turkey.
0:19.3	And I'm here with archaeologist Sipana Chakarian.
0:22.9	It was built most probably at the 6th century. It has been studied since the beginning of the 20th century.
0:29.0	It's a really extraordinary monument. There are no guides or tourists and we're surrounded by
0:34.9	Baron Scroblund. But this redstone building has international significance.
0:40.6	This is one of the most important early Christian monuments of Armenia,
0:44.9	and it most probably had the relics.
0:47.1	So it was an important site of pilgrimage.
0:49.5	Although this building has been here for centuries, it's clearly deteriorating.
0:57.3	But now a unique scanning project,
1:04.1	using technology like this drone, is ensuring it's being preserved as it is in digital form. You're listening to the documentary from the BBC World Service. I'm Julia Paul, and for this
1:17.9	episode of Heart and Soul, which explores stories of spirituality from around the world,
1:23.6	I'm in Armenia. This country is home to some of the world's most significant ancient Christian heritage,
1:30.8	but it's in danger from war, earthquakes and even neglect.
1:35.8	Some sites have already been erased from the map.
1:39.7	There was a church in Bejjor that doesn't exist anymore,
1:42.7	and we have the 3D scan of that church.
1:44.5	That church now only exists digitally. For some young Armenians, helping preserve these sites
1:51.7	has been a way of getting closer to their Christian faith. When you spend a day,
1:56.9	photograph every inch of it, it's like your soul gets attached to the building.
	...

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