Hovhannavank ( armenian Հովհաննավանք ) is a medieval Armenian monastery located in Armenia , in the village of Oganavan ( Aragatsotn region ). In the Ayrarat region of historical Armenia [1] .
| Monastery | |
| Hovhannavank Monastery | |
|---|---|
| Հովհաննավանք | |
 Hovhannavank Monastery | |
| A country |  Armenia |
| Location | Aragatsotn region |
| Denomination | |
| Diocese | |
| Architectural style | |
| Founding date | |
History
At one time, the monastery was one of the main and significant monasteries in Armenia. It contained a shroud in which Jesus Christ was shrouded, and a nail with which his right hand was nailed. In addition, the right hand of St. Stephen was kept in the monastery [2] . Later, the relics of St. Stephen were transferred to storage in Etchmiadzin [3] ). Published in 1865, the “Geographical and Statistical Dictionary of the Russian Empire”, he mentioned the monastery
 | There is an ancient church in the name of St. John the Evangelist of great size and beautiful architecture. |  |
The monastery suffered from earthquakes, and from shelling of Hasan Khan during the Russian-Persian war [2] . However, each time the complex was restored
Architecture
As part of the monastery complex:
- Surb Grigor Basilica (V century) - it has one of the few iconostases in Armenia. From the north, the ruins of the church of the first Christians, dating back to the beginning of the IV century, adjoin the temple.
- Surb Karapet (1216-1221) is the main church of the monastery of the cross-dome type. The walls are richly decorated with bas-reliefs and ornaments with Christian motifs. Built by Prince Vache Vachutyan.
- The four-pillar gavit is decorated with an openwork rotunda above the upper light aperture (1248-1550).
The south wall of the temple and the high dome on a twelve-sided drum were destroyed in 1919 during a major earthquake. In 1970-1990, a major reconstruction was carried out, during which these elements of the church were restored. Also, to this day, the remains of the fortress walls with towers of the 12th-13th centuries and ancient gravestones have been preserved.
Gallery
Interior decoration
Dome
One of the types of monastery
Bas-reliefs
Notes
- ↑ Robert W. Thomson. Rewriting Caucasian History. The Medieval Armenian Adaptation of the Georgian Chronicles. The Original Georgian Texts and the Armenian Adaptation . - Clarendon Press, 1996 .-- P. xl.
- ↑ 1 2 P.Semenov. Ioanna-Vank // Geographic and Statistical Dictionary of the Russian Empire. Volume II - St. Petersburg, 1865 .-- S. 381.
- ↑ A. Kakovkin . Monument of Armenian silver farming of the XIV century. // Bulletin of social sciences. - Yerevan: Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR, 1980. - No. 10 . - S. 69-80 . - ISSN 0320-8117 .
Literature
- Zakaria Kanakertsi (1627-1699). Chronicle. Moscow, 1969
- Armenia: 1700 years of Christian Architecture. Moughni Publishers, Yerevan, 2001
- Tom Masters and Richard Plunkett. Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan, Lonely Planet Publications; 2 edition (July 2004)
- Nicholas Holding. Armenia with Nagorno Karabagh, Bradt Travel Guides; Second edition (October, 2006