Medieval Christian architecture. Part 4
You can see the route map here. Start - in part 1, part 2, part 3
Sevanavank Monastery [24]. Today the monastery is located on the peninsula. But before the decrease in the water level in Sevan, he was on the island. The first Church of the Resurrection was built by Gregory the Illuminator in the 4th century. on the site of a pagan temple. At the end of the 8th century several monks settled on the island, and in the 9th century. the founder of the Bagratid dynasty, Ashot I, and his daughter Mariam helped build the monastery. Mariam early became the widow of the Syunik prince, she promised to build several dozen churches after the death of her husband. The monastery was destroyed by an earthquake, the Tatar-Mongols. In the 17th century, the skete on the island came to life again and existed until the 30s of the 20th century. Then it is closed, some of the buildings are demolished.
Sevanavank monastery plan
The complex consists of three churches: the cross-domed Virgin and the Apostles (Arakelots) (IX century); the ruins of the porch and the Church of the Ascension; outbuildings. Doors of the Church of the Apostles of the XII and XV centuries. Today they are in the Historical Museum of Yerevan. There are capitals from Sevanavank and in the Hermitage. The walls of the monastery were destroyed in the XVI-XVII centuries.
on the left is the Church of Our Lady, on the right is the Apostles (later the Baptist)
Closed in the 1930s, today the monastery operates. This is perhaps the only monastery where I saw a dress code on the doors (we entered the rest without restrictions). We didn’t have to put on anything: the churches were already closed. The monastery includes a seminary (opened at the end of the 19th century), located on the cofferdam of the peninsula, formed during the shallowing of Sevan. To come to Sevan three times and take a vow was considered equivalent to a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Church of the Apostles (Baptist)
The most striking event associated with the monastery occurred at the end of the 9th century. and is associated with Ashot the Iron, who gave battle to the Arabs and won it. Monks also helped Ashot.
khachkar made of fragile andesite mined in the quarries of Sevan
Kecharis Monastery[25]. The monastery was founded in the 11th century. Pahlavuni princes. Construction continued until the 13th century. At that time it was a major spiritual center with a school.
St. Gregory the Illuminator Church (Kecharis)
The complex includes: the Church of Gregory the Illuminator (XI century); the cross-domed church with two-storied aisles in four corners of the Katoghike church (XIII century); Church of the Resurrection (Harutyun, XIII century); the chapel of the 11th century, which served as the tomb of the founder of the Pahlavuni monastery (in ruins); the cross-domed Church of the Ascension (Nshan, XI century); vestibule (XII century).
on the left is the Church of the Ascension, on the right is the Church of Katoghike (Kecharis)
The complex looks very beautiful at night when it is illuminated.
Geghard Monastery [28]. This is the rarest example of a monastery, partly carved into the rocks. According to legend, the monastery was built immediately after the adoption of Christianity, in the IV century. It was originally called Ayrivank (“monastery in the rock”). Later, because of the holy spear kept in it, which pierced the body of Jesus on the cross, it also became known as Geghardavank (“spear”) or simply Geghard. (Currently, the spear is in the museum of Etchmiadzin. ) There was a library, a school in the monastery, the monks lived in cave cells.
The ground-based main church with a narthex, the chapel of Gregory the Illuminator, the first cave church were built in the 13th century. under the princes Zakaryans. Then the princes of Proshany bought the monastery. They built cave churches.
plan of Geghardavank
The complex consists of: the main church with a vestibule (XIII century, above ground); the cave churches of Avazan (pool) above the spring, from pagan times and still considered miraculous; tombs of Proshanov; Church of Our Lady; gavit of Papak Proshan and Ruzukan (XIII century); chapel of Gregory the Illuminator; ground service buildings.
Ayvazan
The church above the spring was built by the architect Galdzak. Cave temples repeat the architectural forms of above-ground temples. Bas-relief with the head of an ox and lions on chains, between the lions, below - an eagle with a lamb in its claws - probably the coat of arms of the Proshanov family.
Proshanov princely coat of arms
There is a legend about Geghard monastery.
Tamerlane reached the Garni gorge, set up camp there, sent scouts to reconnaissance. In the morning one of them reported that there was a Christian church carved into the rock nearby. The temple is guarded by the spear of the Roman legionnaire Longinus, with which he pierced the body of Christ to check whether he was alive or dead. The spear was allegedly brought by the Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, who preached Christianity in Armenia. And Christians believe that the spear is sacred and works wonders.
Tamerlane laughed, gathered an army and moved to the monastery. Halfway through, a strong wind blew and it began to rain. The closer they got to the monastery, the stronger the rain and wind became. Thunder and lightning flashed over Tamerlane's army. When they entered the temple, seeing the spear, they froze in horror. When they stretched out their hands to him, they hung in the air. Some went blind at the sight of the spear. Tamerlane, seeing what was happening to his soldiers, was horrified. He took off his helmet, forgetting where he was.
The next day, Tamerlane ordered to give all the stolen jewelry to the monastery and not to touch anything else. And then he broke camp and left the gorge once and for all.
Echmiadzin [29] – the seat of the Catholicos. It is located in the city of Vagharshapat, founded in the first half of the 2nd century. At one time, after the destruction of the capital, Artashat was the political, religious, cultural and educational center of the country. At this place in 303, where the pagan temple was located, a church was founded, called Etchmiadzin (“the only-begotten descended”). The ruins of that church are located under the altar of the current cathedral.
entrance gate to Etchmiadzin
Since Armenia was often conquered, the role of the supreme religious head of the Armenians, the Catholicos, increased. Therefore, Etchmiadzin, as the most permanent center of the country's spiritual power, was improved more than other monasteries. In the 15th century, a narthex with a bell tower above it, decorated with carvings, was added. Everything is very magnificent, not usual for ascetic Armenian architecture. At the same time, the inner walls of the cathedral were also decorated. The decoration was completed in the 18th century.
Cathedral interior
In addition to the main altar, there are three more in the cathedral. One of them is rather a holy place: according to legend, it was on this place that Christ descended.
place of descent
In order to store relics and gifts, rooms were added to the cathedral, where today the museum is located. It contains a fragment of Noah's Ark, the tip of the spear (gegard), with which the crucified Christ was killed, other relics, books, religious attributes (clothes, staffs, vessels, etc. ).
spear
The gates of Trdat stand at the entrance to the residence of the Catholicos. It is believed that the palace of the Armenian kings used to be here (stones from the 4th century remained).
The complex includes: Etchmiadzin Cathedral; Theological Academy (here they study mainly languages); the palace of the catholicos; printing house; the seminary where Komitas studied and taught; Nearby are the churches of the virgin martyrs who fled from Rome and were killed by Tsar Trdat before he and the country accepted Christianity - St. Gayane; Repsime, Shoghakat.
the burial place of St. Repsime
The khachkars brought from different parts of the country deserve attention.
The following legend is connected with the founding of Etchmiadzin.
After the healing by Gregory the Illuminator and the adoption of Christianity, King Trdat decided to build the first Christian church. Grigory indicated the construction site and went to bed. Sleep did not come, he was overcome by doubts about the place: there were swamps and mud all around. In a dream, the Savior appeared to him with a golden hammer in his hand. He drew a circle, showing exactly where the cathedral should be built. In the morning the work was started. And the next day they found that the foundation had collapsed. The next night, the Savior appeared to Gregory again. He explained that there were evil forces lurking at the construction site, which he would first destroy. Christ appeared accompanied by heavenly light, struck the foundation of the church three times with his hammer. The evil under the foundation has disappeared. The construction was successfully completed. The cathedral was called Etchmiadzin, which means "the only begotten descended. " Since that time, the cathedral has become the spiritual center of Armenia, the heart of Christianity. In the place where Christ struck with a hammer, an altar of descent was erected. In front of him are services dedicated to Gregory the Illuminator, the first Armenian Catholicos.
Zvartnots[30]. It is believed that Christ appeared in a vision to Gregory the Illuminator surrounded by angels. In translation, "Zvartnots" means "vigilant forces. " Watchers are called angels who are always on guard to hear the word of the Lord.
Zvartnots plan
The temple was built in the 7th century. by order of Catholicos Nerses the Builder. First, it was dedicated to the first Catholicos Gregory the Illuminator, who met at this place with Tsar Trdat and whose relics were buried under the temple (the pit where they were can be seen today under the bars). The cathedral was supposed to surpass Etchmiadzin, hence its unusual architecture, reminiscent of a ziggurat, although it is a central-domed temple of three tiers stacked on top of each other.
Zvartnots
The temple not only had an unusual shape, but was also richly decorated with carvings. According to legend, the Byzantine emperor saw this temple while visiting Armenia. He liked the temple so much that he took the architect to Constantinople. The architect died on the way. Therefore, a similar temple was not built there. Although, they say that after the collapse of the dome of St. Sophia, an Armenian architect restored it using the construction technique used in Zvartnots.
Medieval image of Zvartnots (from the statue of the king holding the temple in his hands) - at the Historical Museum
It is believed that in the IX century. The temple was destroyed by an earthquake and never rebuilt. By the 20th century it was completely covered with earth. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Marr expedition discovered a statue of a king with a temple in his hands. Based on the results of the excavations and this image, a model was made, which can be seen in the Zvartnots Museum (see above). They say that the temple is depicted on a bas-relief in the Parisian chapel of Saint-Chapelle with Noah's Ark (but where? ).
