Khorakert Monastery
The Khorakert Monastery ( Armenian Խորակերտ Chorakert ) is a former monastery of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the border region of Armenia and Georgia . Whether it belongs to the Lori province in the north of Armenia or is already on the Georgian side is a matter of dispute. In Armenia the monument is listed under the number 7.94 / 12. It was founded in the 13th century. Today the monastery is abandoned. The buildings have been largely destroyed and the area is overgrown.
location
The Khorakert monastery complex is located northwest of the Sanahin and Haghpat monasteries . It was erected three kilometers southwest of the village of Jiliza in the Tumanian region . There it is on the western slope of Mount Lalvarin. It is surrounded by thick forests.
Building description
The monastery complex consists of a church, a gawit, a refectory, which has now been destroyed, and two small vaulted chapels. The area is surrounded by a wall. 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). South of the chapels, near the outer wall, there is a secret passage hidden behind trees that leads to a gorge.
In the center of the complex are the main church and the Gawit in front of it . The structure is by far the largest and most richly decorated structure of the complex. It was built from yellow-reddish colored rockite . The outside of the church has a rectangular floor plan, inside it is cross-shaped with four side chapels built into the corners. It differs from other Armenian churches in that it is slightly elongated. The building is accessed via entrances in the west and south.
In contrast to the decoration of the exterior facade, the interior is rather modest. The frames of the door openings, the triangular niches with shells on the eastern facades and the dazzling pillars that support the dome are simple. The central church space is crowned by a dome with a tambour . This is considered to be unique in the medieval church architecture of Armenia. The decagonal building element is supported by hexagonal columns (three on each side), between which a lot of light can get into the interior of the building. When the sun is shining, the dome appears to be floating. In its architecture, the Khorakert tambour acts like a link between conventional cross-domed buildings and rotundas, which in Armenian architecture are more likely to be seen in bell towers. Above and below the columns there are numerous ornaments in the form of three-pass and four-pass .
The interior of the dome has largely been preserved in its original state. Its decor differs significantly from the simple interior: The dome is supported by three pairs of intersecting arches that form a six-pointed star ( Star of David ). It is possible that the domes of the monasteries Khoranashat (1257), Arkazan (13th century) or Makaravank (before 1207) were the model for the construction in Khorakert, which is nevertheless considered to be unique. It is believed that the dome was built at a later date (probably with the Gawit ).
In front of the main church is the Gawit, which was completed in 1257. The vestibule was a rectangular hall, the octagonal pyramidal dome of which was supported by a system of intersecting arches. An earthquake in 1965 destroyed the structure, which is also not considered typical of medieval Armenian church architecture.
The remains of the refectory as well as two chapels and tombstones are in the northwestern part of the monastery. Among the Khachkars, a memorial stone from the thirteenth century standing near the north wall is considered the most important.
history
According to an inscription above the western entrance, Prince Stepanos had the main church built in 1252. In 1661 the monastery was renovated. Today it is abandoned. The buildings have been largely destroyed and the area is overgrown.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Georgian Border Guards Prohibit Djiliza Armenians from Visiting Khorakert Monastery - Hetq - News, Articles, Investigations . ( hetq.am [accessed November 17, 2017]).
- ↑ a b c d e Khorakert Monastery, Jiliza, Armenia | World Building Directory | Buildings. Retrieved November 17, 2017 .
- ↑ a b Baghdasaryan Brothers: Khorakert monastery. Retrieved November 17, 2017 .
- ↑ Khorakert Monastery - Armeniapedia.org. Retrieved November 17, 2017 .
Coordinates: 41 ° 12 ′ 29.9 " N , 44 ° 35 ′ 54" E