The structure was probably built by king Tiridates I in the first century AD as a temple to the sun god Mihr . After Armenia 's conversion to Christianity in the early fourth century , it was converted into a royal summer house of Khosrovidukht , the sister of Tiridates III . According to some scholars it was not a temple but a tomb and thus survived the universal destruction of pagan structures . It collapsed in a 1679 earthquake . Renewed interest in the 19th century led to excavations at the site in early and mid-20th century , and its eventual reconstruction between 1969 and 1975 , using the anastylosis method . It is one of the main tourist attractions in Armenia and the central shrine of Armenian neopaganism
1679 earthquake
1679 Armenia earthquake
Temple of Garni