Tatev Monastery

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tatev Monastery from the south

Tatew ( Armenian Տաթեվ , transliteration Tatev ) is an Armenian Apostolic Monastery founded in 895 in the province of Syunik in southern Armenia . It is one of the most important architectural monuments in the country.

location

Tatev Monastery is about 170 kilometers as the crow flies or 250 kilometers by road from Yerevan . It can be reached on a side road that branches off the M2 between Sisian and Goris to the south. A little-used dirt road leads further south via Tandzaver to Kapan . Tatev is also the name of the village located near the monastery.

Since October 16, 2010, the monastery has been connected to Halidsor by the Tatev cable car via the Vorotan Gorge. In eleven minutes, visitors can now reach the monastery all year round. At 5750 meters, the cable car is the longest one-section aerial tramway in the world with a continuous suspension cable .

etymology

The origin of the name Tatev is not proven. Legend has it that Tatev's architect could not descend from a dome that had just been built. Thereupon he called: “ Togh astvats indz ta-tev ” (German: “May God give me wings”). According to another legend, the monastery was named after Saint Eustathius , one of the 70 students who accompanied the apostle Thaddaeus to Armenia. Tatew was and is a common first name in Armenia.

Variants of the transcription of the name are Tatev , Tat'ew , Datev or Tathev .

history

The monastery was built in the 9th century on the site of an ancient sanctuary. It was a very large intellectual center of Armenia and, between 1390 and 1453, a recognized university like those of Sanahin and Haghpat . Many important theologians of the era taught or learned at this university. Tatev was the political center of the Principality of Syunik and the seat of the Archbishop of Syunik, whose summer residence was a few kilometers east in the monastery of Bgheno-Noravank . In the 10th century, Tatev had a population of 1000 people and controlled numerous villages. In the 13th century it had 680 villages; however, some of the villages fought hard to free themselves from Tatev's influence.

When Gladzor University, which was presumably located in Tanahat Monastery , had to close in 1338 , the philosopher Hovhannes Vorotnetsi (1315-1388/98) first taught in Vorotnavank Monastery before he founded an important educational institution in Tatew around 1340, which existed until 1434 . It was the spiritual and cultural center of Armenia; 500 monks sometimes lived and worked there.

Main church with the crane used during the restoration work

Like many Armenian monasteries in the Middle Ages , Tatev was surrounded by a wall to ward off the invasions of that time . The strategically advantageous position on a mountain ledge, bounded by a deep river gorge with a steep, rocky slope favored the construction of a powerful defensive complex at this point. The monastery in Soviet Armenia was closed in the 1920s, but church operations have resumed since the Republic of Armenia gained independence.

An earthquake caused considerable destruction in 1931. However, the preserved parts of the monastery make it possible to assess the artistic importance of the complex. A restoration has started but not yet completed.

Monastery complex

The monastery grounds include three churches. The main monument is the church for the apostles Peter and Paul , Surb Pogos-Petros , built between 895 and 906. It is built in the manner of the vaulted basilicas of the 7th century, but has other special features. The central nave dominates the longitudinal direction, crowned by a huge cross. In contrast to the vaulted basilica, the church had several outbuildings in its western part, the corners of which served as supporting pillars of the dome and the eastern pillars did not merge with the walls of the altar apse. As a result, the transverse shape of the interior is not very pronounced. These characteristics give reason to regard the church as an intermediate link in the development of the domed hall into a domed building with transverse wings, which later found widespread use in Armenia.

The facades of the church are smooth and free of unnecessary detailing. On the eastern facade there are two deep triangular niches, crowned like windows and straight with thin ornate edges. Four of them were decorated with depictions of human faces, decorated with snakes with protruding spines. The Armenians believed that snakes would protect their homes. The oval-cut heads are kept schematic. The only exception is on the north facade, where the sculptor obviously tried to portray certain people. According to the Armenian historian Stepanos Orbelyan, they are the sculptures of the founders of the church: Prince Aschot , his wife Shushan, Grigor Supan (the ruler of Gegharkunik ) and Prince Dzagik .

To the west of the Church of Saint Gregory there was a vaulted gallery dating from 1285, with vaulted openings on the south side, and to the west to the Peter and Paul Church there was a three-story bell tower from the 17th century until it joined in 1931 destroyed by an earthquake.

Gavazan

Gavazan

The stone column Gavazan ("shepherd's staff", for driving the cattle) was set up in 904 in the south of the monastery courtyard. The monument dedicated to the Trinity near the residential complexes is a unique work of Armenian architecture and handicrafts. The octagonal column made of carefully hewn blocks is eight meters high and is crowned by a cornice with a small khachkar on it. Shaking the earth, even just touching a hand, causes the column to totter.

Web links

Commons : Tatev Monastery  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Doppelmayr / Garaventa built the world's longest aerial tramway in Tatev, Armenia on the Doppelmayr / Garaventa website
  2. Caucase -> Arménie -> le monastère de Tatev (Tatew - Tat'ew - Datev) ( Memento of the original from March 15, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (French) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.skiouros.net
  3. euro-news: Reviving a landmark of Armenia

Coordinates: 39 ° 22 ′ 48 ″  N , 46 ° 15 ′ 1 ″  E