four belfries on the apses. Although the cathedral was renovated many times through the centuries and some alterations were made in the 17th and 19th centuries, it largely retains the form of the building constructed in 483/4, especially the floor plan. The fifth-century building is the core of the cathedral, while the stone cupola, turrets, belfry, and rear extension are later additions. According to Varazdat Harutyunyan, its dome was originally wooden and was replaced with a stone one in a subsequent renovation. Portions of the northern and eastern walls of the original building have survived. Alexander Sahinian argued that Etchmiadzin holds a unique position in Armenian (and non-Armenian) architecture history because it reproduces features of different periods of Armenian architecture. It makes the building of "immense architectural interest." Hewsen suggested that the design of the core of the church is a mixture of a Zoroastrian fire temple and a mausoleum of classical antiquity. In the West, its style has been described as Byzantine, "Armeno-Byzantine", or as "combining Byzantine influence with Romanesque style." Foreign visitors have called it ascetic, unostentatious, extremely austere and commanding. The cathedral is and its dome rises . Two Soviet travel writers described it as a "massive cube surmounted by a faceted cone on a simple cylinder." James Bryce called it "small [...] compared with its fame or importance", while another British visitor called it "diminutive by European standards." Luigi Villari opined that building is "unusual and interesting rather than beautiful, and altogether inferior to many other Armenian churches." Robert H. Hewsen agreed; he noted that it is "neither the largest nor the most beautiful of Armenian churches", nevertheless, "the overall impression presented by the ensemble is inspiring, and Armenians hold the building in great reverence." The cathedral, especially the core, is built in grey stone, while the 17th century additions in bright red. The rear extension, added by Catholicos Gevorg IV in 1868, was heavily criticized by 19th century visitors. Telfer described it as being "in exquisitely bad taste, for it is totally at variance architecturally with the church itself." H. F. B. Lynch was harsher; he called it a "stupid building" that "from outside lengthens and perverts the original edifice." The bell of Etchmiadzin's 17th century bell tower contained a Tibetan Buddhist inscription. It was removed in the late 1930s by the Soviets and has disappeared without trace. Hewsen suggested that it was "probably the