Sevanavank
| Sevanavank | ||
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 Sevanavank Monastery today |
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| Data | ||
| place | NW bank of Lake Sevan | |
| Coordinates | 40 ° 33 '50.1 " N , 45 ° 0' 38.9" E | |
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Sevanavank (Armenian: "Սևանավանք", ie. "Sevankloster") is a monastery on the northwestern bank of Lake Sevan in the Armenian province of Gegharkunik , not far from the city of Sevan .
The monastery stood on a small island in the lake that was uninhabited until the end of the 8th century; Only the massive drainage of lake water for agricultural irrigation projects during the Soviet era and the resulting greatly reduced water level made the former island into today's peninsula .
history
According to an inscription in the smaller of the two churches, the monastery was founded in 874 by Princess Mariam, daughter of the future King Ashot I and wife of the regional prince Vasak-Gabor of Sjunik . Some monks had already built a chapel and some cells on the site around the year 800 . The core of the monastery were three small churches built in 874, of which two still exist today ( Surb Arakelots and Surb Astvatsatsin ). The other monastery buildings (library, school, residential buildings, etc.) were grouped around these, of which nothing remains today. In contrast to almost all other Armenian monasteries, Sevanavank was not surrounded by a defensive wall, as the island location made this unnecessary. Monastic life was strict, because the monastery was for monks from Echmiadzin determined that sinned there, and for Armenian nobles who in disgrace had fallen. The French Caucasus explorer Jean-Marie Chopin visited Sevanavank in 1830 and reported that there was neither meat nor wine, young people or women there. Another explorer reported in 1850 that manuscripts were still being copied by hand. Sevanavank also served Ashot I as a refuge and base during his battles against Arab invaders, and priests and monks fought on the Armenian side against both repeated attacks by the Arabs and the Ottomans . The Sevanavank monks were known for their medicine based on the plants growing around the lake, and some of their nutur recipes are still in use today.
The monastery was a place of pilgrimage and existed as such until 1930, when the last monks had to leave the place during the Stalin era . Today the facility is maintained by the Armenian Apostolic Church , which operates a seminary at the northern end of the peninsula.
Current condition
The two churches, Surb Arakelots (“Holy Apostles”) and Surb Astvatsatsin (“Mother of God”), have a cruciform floor plan with an octagonal drum above the center, in traditional Armenian church architecture. A conical dome with conical trumpets sits on the tambour , on the outside designed in the form of a prism with an octagonal tower pyramid. The interior of both churches is rectangular on the west side, while the three other arms of the cross form semicircular apses . Surb Astvatsatsin , located southeast of Surb Arakelots , is about 12 × 15 meters larger than Surb Arakelots with its 8 × 10 meters and was probably built after Surb Arakelots . It also contains a small side chapel that was added later as well as several side rooms at both ends of the north side. Directly west of the Surb Astvatsatsin are the remains of a square gawit (vestibule), which was added to the church in the 9th or 10th century , through which one entered the church and whose roof was once supported by six wooden pillars. Remains of Gawits and two of the wooden columns capitals are now in the History Museum in Yerevan , as well as several carved doors from the monastery dating from the 12th to the 16th century. Inside the Gawit foundation walls are a number of impressive khachkars , ornate stones with a cross in the middle.
Sevanavank Peninsula
On the south bank of today's peninsula there is a guest house of the Armenian Authors' Association, and on the east bank is the summer residence of the President of Armenia. Due to good road and rail connections with the capital Yerevan , the well-developed tourism industry in Sevan and the scenic scenic location Sevanavank is a much-visited place.
photos
Surb Arakelots Church
Surb Astvatsatsin Church
Door of the Surb Arakelots Church
Surb Arakelots with Lake Sevan and Geghama Mountains (left) in the background
Sevanavank Peninsula
Sevanavank from afar
Sevanavank Monastery seen from the lake
literature
- Patrick Donabédian: Documentation of the art places . In: Jean-Michel Thierry: Armenian Art. Herder, Freiburg / B. 1988, pp. 578f, ISBN 3-451-21141-6
