Samson Monastery

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Samson Monastery

The monastery Samson ( Armenian Սամսոնավանք Samsonawank ) is a former convent of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the province of Tavush in the north of Armenia . It was founded in the 12th century. Today it is a ruin.

location

The monastery area is largely overgrown today.

The small monastery complex is located southwest of the village of Ajarkut on a hill on Samson, from which the left bank of the river can be overlooked. The largely overgrown area, about 168 kilometers from Yerevan, is surrounded by dense forests. Six kilometers to the north is the Deghdznuti Vank monastery from the 13th century. The remains of the medieval Berdakar Castle are located near the monastery .

Building description

The dome of the main church

The monastery complex consists of the main church, a half-ruined chapel , another small church and the remains of residential and farm buildings. The main church is a cross-domed church from the 12th and 13th centuries. It is 5.6 meters long and 5.3 meters wide and was built from finely hewn sandstone , which is now partially washed out by the rain. The semicircular apse at the east end is decorated with ornaments on the outside. The central church space is crowned by a (today partially destroyed and overgrown) dome with a drum . This is octagonal on the outside and round on the inside. Long and narrow windows in the drum let light into the building. The entrance is in the west of the building.

The second church was built directly on the south wall of the main church. It is a single-nave hall church that is closed at the top with a vault . The structure has a horseshoe-shaped apse and is surrounded by long extensions that have now largely been destroyed. Remnants have been preserved on the eastern wing and the lower rows of the longitudinal walls.

To the north of the complex is a chapel, which is now largely in ruins. Its vaulted ceiling was once richly decorated with frescoes . Numerous inscriptions have been preserved on its west wall, which indicate donors who financed the construction.

Web links

Commons : Samson Monastery  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Samson Monastery, 12th-13th cc. Armenian Heritage (accessed November 17, 2017)
  2. ↑ Samsoni Monastery - Armeniapedia.org. Retrieved November 17, 2017 . (Copy from: Raffi Kojian: Rediscovering Armenia: an archaeological / touristic gazetteer and map set for the historical monuments of Armenia . Tigran Mets, Yerevan 2001, ISBN 99930-52-28-0 )
  3. ↑ a b Baghdasaryan Brothers: Samson monastery. Retrieved November 17, 2017 .

Coordinates: 40 ° 58 ′ 28.9 ″  N , 45 ° 2 ′ 11 ″  E