Gandsassar

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gandsassar Monastery

Gandsassar ( Armenian Գանձասար , transliteration Gandzasar ; Azerbaijani Gəncəsər ) is an Armenian monastery in Nagorno-Karabakh . It is located to the southwest of the town Wank lying heights in the province of Martakert the fact of Azerbaijan , to which that territory belongs under international law, independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic , around 30 kilometers in a straight line to the northwest of its capital Stepanakert .

Beam of light in the cathedral

The monastery was founded by Prince Hassan Dschalaljan founded in 1216, is also the founder of the dynasty Hasan-Dschalalian from the Principality's chat was. Gandsassar means treasure mountain in Armenian . In the monastery there is the Church of John the Baptist (Armenian Սուրբ Յովհաննու Մկրտիչ եկեղեցի , Surb Jowhannu Mkrtitsch jekeghezi ), which was built between 1216 and 1238. The monastery complex is protected by high walls.

From around 1400 to 1816 Gandsassar was the seat of the Catholicos of Aghwank (Albania) .

The monastery is located in the western part of the Chatschen valley, where it can be seen from afar. This is not only due to the exposed location of the monastery, but also because its color (the monastery was built from red tuff , which has turned reddish brown over time) stands out from the green background of the mountain forest.

The narthex has the shape of a gavit , the outer walls of which are decorated with outstanding bas-reliefs depicting the crucifixion of Jesus , Adam and Eve and two church officials holding a model of the church as a gift to God above their heads. These reliefs are compared with those of Akdamar in terms of their cultural and historical significance and the monastery is counted among the masterpieces of Armenian architecture. Although the monastery was damaged and one building was destroyed during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in 1991, it still operates and is the seat of the Archbishop of the Diocese of Artsakh .

  • 2014 Górski Karabach, Klasztor Gandzasar (14) .jpg
  • Gandzasar Monastery3.jpg
  • Gandzasar2.jpg

literature

  • Bagrat Ulubabian - Murad Hasratian: Gandzasar (Documenti di Architettura Armena 17). Milan 1987.

Web links

Commons : Gandsassar  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Գանձ ա սար; Գանձ, Gands = treasure; Սար, Sar = mountain or mountain peak
  2. ↑ Hrair Khatcherian: Artsakh: A Photographic Journey. P. 13. Online .

Coordinates: 40 ° 3 ′ 24.6 ″  N , 46 ° 31 ′ 52.4 ″  E