Horomayr
Horomayr Monastery ( Armenian Հոռոմայր Horomajr ) is a former monastery of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the northern Armenian province of Lori . It was founded in the 7th century. Today it is abandoned. The buildings have been largely destroyed and the area is overgrown.
Location and building description
The monastery complex is located about one kilometer southwest of the village of Odsun in the Lori province . It consists of two parts, the upper and lower monastery, which were built on the steep left bank of the river (at a height of 810 meters) of the Debed River and on a plateau above (at an altitude of 1,132 meters above sea level). Around the monastery there are caves in which monks lived from the 1st to the 8th centuries. This is probably the reason why the monastery was built.
The upper monastery complex consists of two churches, a gawit built in between , which was also used for burials, a bell tower between the churches and a surrounding cemetery. Abbot Samuel had the southern church built in 1206 by the architect Grigor Kargortsi from blue basalt stone . It is a single-nave hall church , which is closed at the top with a vault and a gable roof above . The only access is in the north. A narthex is built in front of the church there . light enters the building through large windows in the east, west and south walls. The outer wall is richly decorated. For example, the east window has a bas-relief of doves sitting opposite each other.
The narthex serves as a vestibule for both buildings . It was built from yellow rockite , has an almost square floor plan and is 4.35 long and 4.1 meters wide. Its vault is supported by a pair of crossed arches that rest on four corner pillars. The main entrance is on the west side. The windowless narthex is connected to the churches in the north and south. The interior of the east wall is decorated with three cross reliefs, which are considered typical of the 13th century. Numerous people were buried inside. Some gravestones and several khachkars (artistically hewn memorial stones with a relief cross in the middle, which is surrounded by geometric and plant motifs) remind of them .
The northern church is directly adjacent to the narthex. It was built in a similar style to the southern church, but has different dimensions and, like the narthex, was built from yellowish rockite . Its only entrance is in the south. There is a window opening in each of the east and west walls. The narthex and northern church were probably built in the 13th century. The southern church is older. To the north and west of the monastery there is a cemetery with no khachkars.
The main church of the lower-lying monastery area, Surb Nshan ( Armenian sacred symbol ), had the princes Zakare and Ivane Zakarian built from basalt stone on a hill above the left bank of the river . The only access is on the north side. There is a relief of Mary with the baby Jesus above the entrance .
The bell tower was built in 1290. In addition to the main church, there is another church on the site as well as a small chapel from the year 1201. North of the monastery complex is a square bell tower with a large apse built in 1301 and the ruins of the Surb Arakyal chapel from 1216. Around the monastery area there is a cemetery. On the site there are some khachkars (artistically hewn memorial stones with a relief cross in the middle, which is surrounded by geometric and plant motifs).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d VERIN HOROMAYR MONASTERY. Retrieved November 21, 2017 .
- ↑ a b Baghdasaryan Brothers: Horomayr monastery. Retrieved November 21, 2017 .
Coordinates: 41 ° 2 ′ 6.1 ″ N , 44 ° 37 ′ 40.9 ″ E