Arqakaghni Monastery
| Arqakaghni Monastery Արքակաղնի վանք |
|
|---|---|
| Construction year: | 1122 |
| Style elements : | Armenian architecture |
| Location: | 36 ° 54 '40.3 " N , 35 ° 41' 43.1" E |
| Location: |
Yakapınar Adana , Turkey |
| Purpose: | Armenian Apostolic Monastery |
The Arqakaghni Monastery ( Armenian Արքակաղնի վանք ) was an Armenian monastery in the south of the Adana province in modern-day Turkey , nine kilometers southeast of the ancient city of Mopsuestia , today's Yakapınar in the east of Çukurova .
It was built in 1122 and destroyed in the Armenian genocide in 1915 .
Naming
The monastery has two different names:
- Arqakaghni (or Arqakaghin ), which means royal oak in Armenian , as the monastery was surrounded by oak trees .
- Hachoyakatar (Հաճոյակատար), which literally means dearest back in the Armenian language , but is identified with Mother of God .
Exterior construction
The Arqakaghni Monastery consisted of several churches and was located in a forest of oak, plane and olive trees . The main church was dedicated to Our Lady ( Surb Astvatsatsin ).
history
The Arqakaghni Monastery was founded in 1122 AD near Mopsuestia , an ancient city in the Kingdom of Lesser Armenia, as the seat of the Bishop of Mopsuestia. It was a library for rare medieval Armenian books and manuscripts , a school and a university . It had a scriptorium and was a center for Armenian folk and church music.
The following medieval historians mentioned Arqakaghni Monastery:
- Vardan Areveltsi (Վարդան Արևելցի, XIII century)
- Kirakos Gandzaketsi (Կիրակոս Գանձակեցի, XIII century)
- Smbat Gundstabl (Սմբատ Գունդստաբլ, XIII century)
- Hovhannes Yerznkatsi (Հովհաննես Երզնկացի, XIII cen.)
Medieval Armenian author and priest Vardan Aygektsi studied here.
In the years 1206-08 the Arqakaghni Monastery was the official seat of Archbishop David Arqakaghneci. In the monastery were King Levon II. , His father Stephane (Ստեփանե) and Grigor Apirat buried.
An earthquake in 1269 damaged the monastery, it was rebuilt in 1284 and remained in operation until the massacres of the Armenians in Vilayet Adana in 1909, when it was destroyed again. It was finally destroyed during the 1915 genocide.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Article from "Christian Armenia" Encyclopaedia shown at "http://www.lusamut.net" ( Memento of the original from March 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ "Christian Armenia" Encyclopaedia, Yerevan 2002, p. 163
- ↑ "Sisuan" by Ghevond Alishan, Venice 1885
- ^ "Cilicia's Monasteries" by H. Voskyan, Vienna 1957
- ↑ Kirakos Gandzaketsi's "History of Armenia", Yerevan 1982
- ^ "Smbat Sparapet" from Taregirq magazine, Venice 1956
- ↑ Vardan Aygektsi's biography at "hayeren.hayastan.com"
- ↑ ["Sisuan" by Ghevond Alishan, Venice 1885]
