Original sentence: A close copy of the cathedral was erected at Ani out by Trdat the Architect under the reign of Gagik I Bagratuni during the final decade of the tenth century.Zvartnots remained standing until the end of the tenth century, but historical sources are silent as to the cause of its collapse
Edited sentence: /> A close copy of the cathedral was erected at Ani out by Trdat the Architect under the reign of Gagik I Bagratuni during the final decade of the tenth century.Another view is that Arabs pulled strategic stones from the wall, weakening the structure so that it eventually collapsed of its own weight.Collapse & Reconstruction.Even so, it would have taken decades of exposure to finally weaken the second tier, which fell following an earthquake.Excavations have uncovered traces of large fires at the site, perhaps of an earlier attempt to destroy the church, though the construction also included firing of obsidian and lime mortar to form the mortar joints (firing it into brick) and the 1893 excavation used fire and explosives to clear debris.How it collapsed is still debated, though most argues for one of two theories; earthquake, or as a result of Arab raids.The most common explanation is earthquake, though the building was well engineered and designed to last 1,000 years (a projected date for the second coming of Christ).Zvartnots stood for 320 years before its collapse in the 10th century; by the time the historian Stepanos Taronatsi wrote of the church it was already in ruins, without giving a reason