Medieval Christian architecture. Part 3
You can see the route map here. Start - in part 1, Part 2
Goshavank Monastery[10]. Erected in the XII century. on the site of the ancient Getik monastery destroyed by an earthquake (named after the river flowing nearby) by order of Prince Zakarian. A politician and an outstanding jurist of the Middle Ages Mkhitar Gosh (the author of the first law book, parables and fables) took part in the construction. The current monastery is named after him. The monastery had a university, a seminary.
plan of Goshavank
The complex includes: the cross-domed church of the Virgin with two entrances (XII century); single-nave church of Gregory the Illuminator (XIII century); a book depository with a bell tower above it (XIII century); school (XIII century); gallery (XIII century); chapel (XIII century); vestibule (XII century). The Church of St. Gregory repeats the basilicas of the 5th century. Its interior outside and inside is distinguished by elegant decor. Nearby is a lace khachkar, which I mentioned https://www.turpravda.com/am/blog-245117.html (the second one is in the Historical Museum of Yerevan).
Goshavank monastery
The book depository is large, which suggests that they not only studied here, but also created handwritten books. The bell tower above the book depository (which is not found in other places) used to be led by an external, now almost destroyed staircase.
St. Gregory the Illuminator Church and Poghos Khachkar
On the slope of the mountain opposite is the church of George (XIII century), the ruins of Gosh's house and his grave. Due to lack of time (due to bad roads, their repairs and detours), we did not manage to get there.
St. George
The following legend is associated with the name of the monastery.
A certain monk Mkhitar was loved by the people, the Armenian rulers. But the bishop did not like him, and he had to retire to the monastery of Getik. The monk was a righteous man and very educated. Science and crafts began to flourish in the monastery, it became a spiritual center. Besides, miracles happened there. Both rulers and ordinary people often came to the monastery. But the day came when Mkhitar felt that he should retire and rest.
Once an angel appeared to him in a dream and said that in the next 7 years there would be good harvests, and then 7 years would be dry. The monk stayed at the monastery to make provisions. When the drought predicted by the angel came, Mkhitar made a “guzh” (pot) and distributed equal portions of grain to everyone. There was enough bread for everyone, no one went hungry. For this pot, Mkhitar was named Gosh, and the monastery was named Goshavank, in honor of that monk.
Monument to Gosh
Haghartsin Monastery[11]. The monastery got its name from the medieval village, the ruins of which are not far from it. It stands out for its light color (travertine and bluish basalt). It is located on the territory of the Dilijan Reserve. But the entrance to it is not closed. Unfortunately, we arrived there when most of the churches were already closed. We jumped only to those places that at that moment were closed by the reserve employee (it was probably around 19 pm).
The complex consists of the earliest church of St. Gregory (X century) with a cruciform hall with four borders; church of st. Stepan (XIII century); the main cross-domed church of the Virgin (XI century); two vestibules; the refectory of the architect Minas (XIII century); chapels; kitchens; bakeries; tombs of the Kyurikids dynasty.
Haghartsin
Church of St. Gregory was built by monks who fled persecution in Byzantium; near the wall there is a vestibule (XII century), built by Prince Zakarian, has bas-reliefs on the ceiling and a hole. Church of St. Stepana is built of bluish basalt with fine details. As for the Church of the Virgin, it is assumed that its construction dates back to the 10th-11th centuries, and the existing inscription (XIII century) refers to the restructuring. There is a high relief depicting a model of a church and a dove on the wall. The refectory is the second of two in Armenia with two domes. There, they even turned on the light for me (which, in fact, is absent in other monasteries). There are benches on the sides of the huge hall. In the room there was some kind of photo exhibition with old photos. Alas, there was no time to see it.
monks with a model of the Haghartsin monastery on the wall of the Church of the Virgin
Khor Virap Monastery[13]. Not far from this place was once one of the capitals of Armenia - Artashat. Near the capital was the royal prison. “Virap” means “pit”, “khor” means “deep”. The convicts were thrown into a deep pit without food. They soon died of hunger.
Khor Virap
I'll tell you either a true story or a fiction about Gregory and the Tsar.
In those ancient times, the country was ruled by King Trdat. He threw the future Gregory the Illuminator into the pit. In this pit, he was imprisoned for 13 years, he was fed by a certain widow. The pagan king beat the Christian virgins to death, after which he lost his mind, fell into a rage, turning into a pig. Once the king's sister had a dream where an angel told the woman that Gregory should be released, because. only he can heal his brother. Nobody believed in a dream, because. people could not live in the pit for so long. The angel appeared to the royal sister several more times. After the fifth time they were sent to Khor Virap, and when they saw Gregory alive, they were surprised. They brought him to the king, he cured him with prayer. Those around were surprised that prayer for the enemy healed. The king believed in God, was baptized, made Christianity the state religion. And Gregory took up the construction of monasteries and enlightenment, having received his nickname. A monastery was built on the site of the prison, which became a place of pilgrimage.
church over the pit
In the center of the complex is the Church of the Virgin (XVII century) with a bell tower. Around - refectories, cells, etc. The complex in its present form was formed in the 17th century, i. e. is the main church, surrounded by a wall. Against the backdrop of medieval monasteries in the country - "baby". But people go there for whom the figure of the Baptist of Armenia is significant. On the wall to the left of the church with a pit there is an observation deck on Ararat (during our arrival, Ararat disappeared behind the clouds, although it was still visible at the entrance on the road). In my opinion, the view of the monastery is best from the hill nearby. You need to go to the left from the entrance to the main church, go outside the wall and go upstairs.
hole in the hole
Noravank Monastery[15]. The monastery is located in a narrow gorge of red rocks. It was founded in the 12th century on the site of older buildings. Under the princes Orbelyans, the monastery became a major religious center, in the XIV century - the residence of the Bishop of Syunik.
The complex includes: the ancient church of St. Baptist (Karapet, IX-X centuries, in ruins); in the XIII century, the main church of the monastery was erected, cross-domed with two-story vestries in four corners, also the Baptist; church of st. Gregory (XIII century), which was the tomb of the prince with khachkars and images of doves inside; Church of the Mother of God (XIV century) from the tomb and chapel; church of st. Stepan.
Two prominent architects worked in the monastery: Siranes in the 13th century. and Momik - in the XIV century. The Church of the Baptist was completed and rebuilt. In the XIII century. a porch was built. After an earthquake at the beginning of the 14th century, the dome was rebuilt: a yerdik (hole) was made, a portal was erected. On the tympanum is an image of God the Father (see the section on khachkars). The Church of Our Lady is also called Burtelashen by the name of Prince Burtele Orbelyan, under whom it was built. Its first floor is the tomb of the princely family. And upstairs there is an external steep staircase, which is difficult to climb, because. it is very narrow, and there is no railing, only a rope almost at the steps. The entire complex was surrounded by a wall in the 17th-18th centuries.
at the entrance to the chapel of the Church of Our Lady of Noravank
There is a sad legend about Noravank, connected with the master Momik, who, after the earthquake, rebuilt this monastery in the Vayots Dzor gorge.
They say Master Momik was crazy about the beauty, the daughter of Prince Orbelyan, the ruler of Syunik. The girl was also in love with him. But the father, of course, did not want his daughter to marry an architect, miniaturist and sculptor - no match. He called the master to him and said that he would give his daughter for him if he built a temple of unprecedented beauty in three years. Momik agreed. And immediately set to work. When the construction was coming to an end, the master went up to the dome. His soul rejoiced at a close meeting with his beloved, because he did not notice that a person approached him. It was a servant sent by the prince. He had orders to kill Momik and pushed the master off the dome. Momik died holding the last stone for the dome, which became his tombstone. The master was gone, the beauty of Noravank remained.
Dances near Noravank Monastery
Tatev Monastery [16]. The name of the monastery means "give me wings". It is likely that the monastery got its name from St. Eustathius (Evstateos-Tatevos) - a disciple of the Apostle Thadeus, who preached Christianity in Armenia. The monastery is located on the banks of the river Vorotan (Gromovaya). It was founded in the 4th century.
Tatev
Today you can get there in two ways: descending into the 500-meter depth of the gorge to the Devil's Bridge and going up, and by the Wings of Tatev cable car over the gorge. More often, tourists get to Tatev by cable car - it's faster. This cable car is considered the longest in the world - about 6 km. Having set off along it, there is an opportunity to feel its technical capabilities and save time. In a short trip (a little over 10 minutes) they talk about what is seen below in the gorge, but, alas, they do not talk about the technical data of the cable car itself, which is very interesting. The duty officer in the cockpit told us about this, because. we stood side by side. Having set off along the road (in a jeep), you can see the mineral springs near the Devil's Bridge, a little higher - the Tatev Hermitage of the 17th century (today abandoned), and above Tatev, probably, the most beautiful view of the monastery opens.
caves near the Devil's Bridge
The first church on the territory was built in the 10th century. In the XI century. the monastery is plundered by the Seljuk Turks, who destroyed tens of thousands of manuscripts. Later, Tamerlane passed through here and burned down the monastery. In the XIII century. Tatev becomes the residence of the Bishops of Syunik. In the XIV-XV centuries. the monastery was a university. More than 1000 people lived here. Graduates of the Tatev Monastery transferred the throne of the Catholicos from Cilicia (on the Mediterranean Sea) to Etchmiadzin.
Tatev Hermitage
The complex includes: the church of Gregory the Illuminator built by the prince (IX century), the Cathedral of Peter and Paul built by the princes (X century); gate church of the Virgin (XI century) over an ancient tomb; book depository.
Tomb of Gregory Tatevatsi
On the walls of the Church of Peter and Paul, you can see bas-reliefs depicting donors, snakes (the snake was considered the patron saint of dwellings). The cathedral was painted with frescoes. The Church of the Enlightener was rebuilt later.
bas-relief with snakes of Tatev
Ghawzan ("staff"), installed in the 10th century, is unique. in the yard (see https://www.turpravda.com/am/blog-245117.html ). It is believed that he warned either about earthquakes or about the approach of cavalry.
The complex was surrounded in the 17th century. wall, where there are outbuildings, among which today you can see an oil mill, the ruins of a school, baths, the abbot's chambers, a bell tower, a refectory, the tomb of Grigory Tatevatsi (scientist) were built.
in the Tatev oil mill
Hayravank Monastery [23]. The monastery is located on the shore of Lake Sevan. The complex includes a church (IX century) and a vestibule (XII century).
Hayravank Monastery
There is a legend associated with this monastery.
It happened during the invasion of Tamerlane. Tamerlane reached the monastery, capturing many manuscripts along the way, burned many villages, and captured a huge number of people. And here he suddenly fell ill. He promised to fulfill any desire of the one who would save him from the disease. No one could heal him, and melancholy took possession of the invader. Then the abbot of Hayravank announced that he would cure him if Tamerlane fulfilled three conditions: he would return the manuscripts and books; release as many captives as the monastery can accommodate; leave the Armenian land. Tamerlane promised to fulfill all conditions. The abbot cured him with herbs, incantations and prayers. When Tamerlane felt better, he returned the books and manuscripts and freed the captives. The captives entered the monastery, but did not leave it. And more and more came. The abbot performed this miracle with the help of the cross of Christ: when people entered the monastery, they turned into doves and flew through the monastery window into the mountains. Then they returned to their homes and turned back into people. Tamerlane was amazed that several tens of thousands of captives fit in the monastery. And he decided to leave these places until he witnessed other miracles.
End at part 4
