Kecharis ( Arm. Կեչաչ ) is an Armenian monastery ensemble of the 11th – 13th centuries in the city of Tsaghkadzor , Kotayk region of Armenia [2] . In Gavar Varazhnunik historical province of Airarat . The monastery complex is located in the northwestern part of Tsaghkadzor , on the slope of the Pambak ridge. The monastery consists of four churches, two chapels, gavit, as well as an ancient cemetery with cross stones of the 12th-13th centuries.
| Monastery | |
| Kecharis | |
|---|---|
| Կեչառիս | |
 Church of st. Gregory the Illuminator | |
| A country |  Armenia |
| Tsaghkadzor , Kotayk region | |
| Denomination | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| Diocese | |
| Architectural style | |
| Founder | Princes Pahlavuni |
| Established | XI-XIII centuries. Main Building - 1033 |
| Building | |
| Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator • Church of the Holy Resurrection • Church of the Holy Sign • Chapel • Khachkars • Ancient cemetery | |
| Famous inhabitants | Grigor Magistros , Khachatur Kecharetsi , Vasak Hahbakyan |
| Status | acting |
| condition | good |
Content
History
Kecharis Monastery was founded in the XI century by princes from the Pahlavuni clan, and its construction continued until the middle of the XIII century. The beginning was laid by Prince Apimrat having built a temple in 1031 [3] . In 1044, Grigor Magistros [3] , one of the prominent political and cultural figures of the Armenian kingdom , built the church of St. Gregory the Illuminator. It has a spacious vaulted hall, which is crowned by a wide dome.
The monastery was the seat of the archbishop. A huge number of inscriptions on the walls of the monastery suggests that great contributions were made to the monastery by both noble people and ordinary parishioners. A chapel has been preserved from the western part of the temple, an inscription above the entrance of which says that it was added in 1244 [3] .
Between the churches of St. Gregory the Illuminator and Surb Nshan (Signs) is a small rectangular chapel of the XI century. She served as the tomb of the founder of the monastery, Grigor Magistros. The chapel has survived to the present in a dilapidated condition. Next to the chapel was a school building.
The narthex of the church was built in the second half of the 12th century and belongs to the early structures of this type. To the south of this church, behind several khachkars, stands the small church of Surb Nshan, a cross-domed type, built in the 11th century and restored in 1223 by Paron Vache.
The monastery complex was also equipped in the era of Zakharid Armenia . In 1203-1214, the third church of the monastery, Katogike (supposedly the architect of Wezik), was erected by Prince Vasak Khakhbakyan. In memory of this event, a khachkar was placed east of the church.
The fourth Church of the Holy Resurrection, located 120 meters from the monastery buildings, was erected in 1220. The temple is small in size, the appearance is rectangular, with a high dome. Several abbots of the monastery were buried in the church. In the XII-XIII centuries, the monastery was one of the largest spiritual centers of Armenia and had its own school.
The church is also a cross-domed church and has two-story aisles in all four corners of the prayer hall.
In the medieval cemetery of Kecharis, Prince Grigor Apiratyan (1099), Grand Prince Prosh (1284), and the architect Vetsik are buried.
The church dome was badly damaged during the 1828 earthquake. In 1947-1949 and 1995, restoration work was carried out in the temple.
Notes
- ↑ Monuments database - 2017.
- ↑ Kecharis Monastery
- ↑ 1 2 3 P. Semenov. Darachichag // Geographic and Statistical Dictionary of the Russian Empire. Volume II - St. Petersburg, 1865 .-- S. 15.
See also
- Armenian architecture
Links
- Media files related to Kecharis on Wikimedia Commons