Aghjots Monastery
The monastery Aghjots ( Armenian Աղջոց վանք Aghdschoz Wank ) is a former convent of the Armenian Apostolic Church . The monastery got its name from the nearby village of Aghjots, which is now desolate . The monastery is also known as the monastery of Saint Stephen (Գողթի Սուրբ Ստեփանոս վանք) because of the patron saint of the main church, Saint Stephen .
location
The monastery is located in the Khosrow reserve on a tributary of the Azat about seven kilometers south of the village Geghard in the province of Ararat (province) in central Armenia . Also in the reserve and not far away are the fortress of Kakavaberd and the monastery complex of Havuts Tar.
history
Legend has it that Gregory the Illuminator founded the monastery in the fourth century on the tomb of the priest Stepanos, who was the persecution of Christians by the Armenian King Trdat III. escaped and was reportedly a companion of Saint Hripsime . The remains of the monastery, preserved today as ruins, were built in the 13th century. The head of the monastery, Abel, had the main church of Surb Stepanos built between 1212 and 1217. Ivane Zakarian and the local prince Grigor Khaghbakian donated the Gawit to the west.
The St. Peter and Paul Church was built in 1270 under Prince Vasak Khaghbakian by the monastery chief Eremia. During the Middle Ages, the monastery held several relics of St. Stepanos and St. Aristakes I (Partev). Many manuscripts were created in the monastery in the 15th century . At the beginning of the 17th century, the monastery was destroyed by the troops of the Persian Shah Abbas I. The troops also stole the relics of St. Aristakes and took them to Tabriz . An Armenian merchant later brought them back to Aghjots. Today these relics are kept in the Etchmiadzin Cathedral . The monastery was rebuilt after the invasion and largely destroyed again in an earthquake in 1679. Then the monastery was rebuilt again. It was looted again in the 18th century and finally destroyed between 1905 and 1907 during the ethnic and religious conflicts between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.
Building description
The monastery complex, preserved today as a ruin, consists of two churches and a gavit (vestibule). The main church of Surb Stepanos is a cross-domed church with two-story side chapels in the corners. Its dome was destroyed in an earthquake in 1679. To the west, a gavit was built in front of it between 1217 and 1234, of which only the foundation walls and some loose stones are preserved today. Its vault was once made up of two intersecting arches.
Immediately north of the main church is the St. Peter and Paul Church. There are side chapels on both sides of the altar. The portal of the now roofless nave is flanked by two bas-reliefs depicting the apostles Peter (left) and Paul (right). They were added in the 14th century, a style element that occurs frequently in Romanesque and Gothic churches, but is atypical for Armenian church architecture. The walls of St. Peter and Paul Church are decorated with plant motifs, geometric ornaments and depictions of scenes from the Old and New Testaments (including the Day of Judgment and Daniel in the Lions' Den ).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Aghjots Vank, Ararat Province, Armenia | World Building Directory | Buildings. Retrieved November 3, 2017 .
- ↑ a b Aghjots Vank Monastery - Armeniapedia.org. Retrieved November 3, 2017 .
Coordinates: 40 ° 6 ′ 24.9 ″ N , 44 ° 48 ′ 26.6 ″ E