Harichavank Monastery

Haritschawank (Armenian Հառիճավանք ), also Harichavank, Haritchavank, is an inhabited monastery of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the village Haritsch east of the town of Artik in the northwestern Armenian province of Shirak. It was probably founded in the 7th century, the preserved church buildings - two cross-domed churches and a Gawit - originate mainly from the 13th century.

Location

40.60646388888943.999422222222Koordinaten: 40 ° 36 ' 23 " N, 43 ° 59' 58" E

Haritschavank located at over 2000 meters above sea level at the northwestern slopes of Mount Aragats, which merge here in the high plains of Tsaghkahovit. From Maralik off the M1 between Yerevan and Gyumri, a road branches over Pemzaschen to Artik from which opens further on the plateau in a northeasterly direction at the few houses of Alagyaz in the second north-south connection in the country of Yerevan after Vanadzor. Two kilometers to Artik on this road starts at a prison, the rising further, one kilometer long driveway after Haritsch.

The compact in its core village with 1536 inhabitants according to the official statistics from January 2012 consists of some farm buildings and gardens and trees that stand out from the meadows and fields of the environment. The monastery is situated at the rear of the village on the edge of a small ravine of a brook flowing through it with some bizarre rock formations.

Haritsch is known by name since the 2nd century BC and was, according to archaeological excavations, which began in 1966, a relatively well-developed fortified settlement. At the cemetery, the ruins of a small single-nave church was exposed from the 5th century. Other, existing in the Middle Ages monasteries in the area were Lmbatavank ( preserved church ) at Artik and Makaravank ( church ruins ) at Pemzaschen.

History

Haritschawank is one of the largest and best preserved monasteries of Armenia. Its foundation probably coincides with the construction of the first church in the 7th century. The expansion of the plant began under the rule of Zakariden, a princely dynasty, who ruled as vassals of the Georgian kings 1201-1260 from their capital Ani. In 1236 they were the Mongols tribute. End of the 12th century, the brothers Ivane Zakarian and Zakare acquired the monastery of the Pahlavuni family. The one with the Bagratides related and hostile Pahlavunis had hitherto supported the monastery. Beginning of the 13th century made ​​the Zakariden the two existing churches today, two Gawite, one of which has been preserved, built several chapels, outbuildings and a fortress wall. This is evident from an inscription of 1201 on the north wall of the Mother of God Church, in which the founder prince as " Zakare Mandatorta Amirspasalar the Armenians and Georgians, son of the great Sargis " Let perpetuate.

Haritschawank was because of his training facility and the copied manuscripts here one of the most famous Armenian monasteries. Invasions of the Mongols brought to the 14th century monastic life to a standstill. In the 18th century the building was completely renovated. In the second half of the 19th century the monastery was the resident in Echmiadzin Catholicos as a summer residence. For this purpose, it was once again completely renovated and enhanced with several outbuildings, were among those a kitchen, sleeping quarters for monks and students, storerooms and stables for cattle.

Monastery

To that of an enclosure surrounded by round towers monastery include not only the interconnected churches that are in an open area in the south on the edge of the ravine, elongated outbuildings, which extend from the monk apartments in the west to the north. A long building in the center houses seminar rooms, refectory and the living rooms of the Catholicos. The kitchen is housed in a separate building on the northeast corner. There are no grave stones or Chatschkare on the site, which is unusual for Armenian monasteries. The walls of the church building made ​​of carefully assembled blocks of tufa in different pink and brown tones.

Gregory Church

The oldest church is dedicated to St. Gregory ( Surb Grigor ). The small square central building probably from the second half of the 7th century is the altar apse slightly turned to the south to the southwest corner of Gawits. The Gregory Church is a Tetrakonchos with four equal semi- circular apses, which are arranged around a square central room. The conches occur pentagonal from the walls to the outside. The transition from the wall to the outside corners of twenty -sided drum by means squinches. The dome thus arched over the entire interior. The oldest Armenian Church in this construction is the St. John's Church ( Surb Hovanes ) in Mastara ( province Aragazotn ) from the second half of the 6th century. Your model ( " Mastara - type") followed in the 7th century, the Sergiuskirche of Artik, Mother of God Church in Woskepar in the province of Tavush and Gregory Church. A further development, which probably took place mainly for static reasons, represents the " Awan Hripsime - type ", which is named after the Cathedral of Awan, a district of Yerevan, and the St. Hripsime Church of Echmiadzin. There, the conches are within an enlarged into a square basic shape of the building structure.

Probably at a restoration in the 19th century, the building acquired its current drummer and an unsuitable hemispherical roof, as it is still displayed in a publication of 1988. In a subsequent conversion of this circular roof was replaced with the now existing classic pyramid roof of stone slabs. An architectural decoration on the outside walls is not present. The dating is based on the design of the eaves, which are decorated with Korbflechtornamenten.

Maybe in the 10th century, a rectangular room with a shed roof was added to the southeast. In the 13th century was followed by a two-storey chapel with barrel vaults and round apse, which is covered by a gable roof. The supported by four pillars porch with bell tower is one of the expansion projects of the 19th century.

Mother of God Church

The Mother of God Church ( Surb Astvatsatsin ) was built according to an inscription in 1201 under Prince Zakare. The large main church of the monastery is a Kreuzkuppelbau of the late 12th and early 13th century widespread type with a horseshoe-shaped apse in the east, the side arms are enclosed within an outer rectangle. The four corners are filled by rectangular side rooms that do not have their own apse. The two eastern side rooms are accessible through doors on its narrow side of the aisles, the western side rooms from the nave. At the upper levels, which are available as special by arcades to the nave in conjunction, lead from the wall kragende stone stairs. Access to the church is via the Gawit through a portal in the west wall.

The inner circular, outer twenty -sided drum resting on transverse arches, the load is transferred via double columns at the four inside corners of the central area. In the corners between the slightly ogival transverse arches squinches convey to the base circle of the main cylinder. During the reconstruction in the 19th century the dome was provided outside a conical roof, which was replaced again by an originally existing convertible top at the recent restoration. The Tambour pages are separated by triple columns bundle. The fields between the windows in the four cardinal directions, fill out the medallions that are like flower petals on a stalk. The jagged ledge of the folding roof is abgetreppt several times. Even more expensive, with some plastic figures instead of the medallions, the drummer of a little later (1216-1238) is formed church of the monastery Gandsassar (now in Nagorno-Karabakh ) designed.

The architectural sculpture is a total return on Georgian models. A round bar pair passes through at the same height all external walls and bounded upward evasive niches and windows. The design center on the east gable is a framed square box, in which appear the two brothers Ivane and Zakare in high relief. They are shown to each other and turned in profile. The figures as shown on the Georgian ruler boots, a waisted dress and a high hat. In the open field between them they were originally a model of the church, which was replaced by a Marie portrait of pale marble in the 19th century. On the same height on the left gable looks a sphinx in the direction of the founder group. The great cross in high relief on the gable peak is one of the Furthermore, in northern Armenia for this time and for the Georgian churches characteristic forms of design. At the lower gable paragraph this page Flechtwerkormament the gable profile is replaced by an inscription in Armenian capital letters: " O Lord God, have mercy on the workers. Amen. "

The Bema ( paragraph before the altar apse higher ) is divided by a large-scale diamond pattern, the fields are filled with fine circular and vegetal patterns. This only decoration of the interior can be as unlike the more powerful emerge the smooth half-columns under the central dome of the wall and the stricter grow to dome upwards.

Gawit

The square Gawit off the west wall of the Mother of God Church is the largest building of the ensemble. He was given according to an inscription commissioned before 1224 by Prince Vaham Khechup and represents the most common type A1 with four central pillars on which the lattice-shaped rib structure of the stone slab ceiling rests. Compared to the Mother of God Church, he is slightly shifted from the center to the north. With the southwest corner he encloses the Nordkonche of Gregory Church. In the middle of in the way of Islamic muqarnas opulently designed central dome has an opening ( jerdik ) for a little light makes. The outer flat ceiling panels are richly decorated with a mosaic of different geometric ornaments.

The most striking design element on the exterior is the west portal. The tympanum is surrounded by a double ogee arch, which is supported by twisted columns pairs. The Tympanonfeld fill gray-green five-sided stone slabs that stand out from reddish triangles.

At the edge of the gorge a few meters south of the Gawits a hermitage dating from the 12th century adventurous perched on a rocky Spitz. An earthquake has blasted the rocks, so that the small stone building is no longer accessible without climbing techniques.