Lmbatavank

40.60835443.957871Koordinaten: 40 ° 36 '30 " N, 43 ° 57' 28" E

Lmbatavank (Armenian Լմբատավանք ), also Stephen Church, a small, Saint Stephen (Armenian Surb Stepanos ) is dedicated to cross-domed church of the Armenian Apostolic Church near the town of Artik in the northern Armenian province of Shirak, which is dated around 600 AD. With their major painting residues and their architectural sculpture, it represents the total of the best preserved church of the 7th century in Armenia

Location

Lmbatavank is located 1.5 kilometers southwest of the city center at the end of the infrastructure which is five kilometers from the nearest neighbor village Pemzaschen branches off to the west of the railway bridge from the road to the south. The church can be seen on the slope of a flat, grassy hill in the distance.

Like most small cross-domed churches Lmbatavank is surrounded by an old cemetery. Some Chatschkare are set up around the church. The much larger Sergius church in the town center of Artik is dated to the second half of the 7th century.

Architecture Historical Development

The oldest -known Armenian central building with four apses is the construction of the Cathedral of Etchmiadzin ( Echmiadzin II) to 485 This large, almost completely symmetrical layout with four central dome bearing central pillars was one exception in the 7th century, either within or outside Armenia pursued. Instead, emerged at the beginning of the 7th century small Tetrakonchen where drum and dome resting on the reinforced inner corners of the cross-shaped ground plan: the Zion Church ( Mankanoz ) in Oshakan and Hogevank near Sarnaghbyur. In the village of Awan ( now a district of Yerevan ) was built around the 600 oldest church of this type preserved in ruins. The covered with a stone vaulted central building probably came from Asia Minor to the east. In addition to the small Lmbatavank Mother of God Church ( Surb Astvatsatsin ) of Talin and the Kamravor Church of Ashtarak are obtained from the 7th century. The earliest forms of the cross shape in the outline of the building is visible, so that the four inner semicircular apses occur outside as the rectangular side arms of a cross-domed church in appearance. For the rarer group of enclosed within an outer rectangle Tetrakonchen no examples are known before the 10th century.

Small Trikonchenanlagen within the said period, in which, as in Talin (first half of the 7th century ) of the west arm is enlarged to a rectangular room were usually fitted on the east side with lateral side rooms. They all can - as well Lmbatavank - only by style comparisons of the architectural sculpture dating back to approximately. The sequence of known small cross-domed churches in detail is carefully evaluated and different.

Lmbatavank belongs to the type of the cross-shaped Monokonchen, in which only the east side inside a semi- circular apse and the remaining pages are designed as arms with a rectangular floor plan. In addition to the best-preserved church of Lmbatavank including without limitation the Kamravor Church of Ashtarak and the even smaller St. Sergius Church of Bjni near Hrazdan. Other churches this outside when acting in a cross shape in appearance type as the Monokonchos the Artavazik Church in Byurakan and similar, partially rectangular jacketed churches have survived greatly changed only as ruins or after several reconstructions.

Design

The cruciform in the basic plan of Monokonchos Lmbatavank goes into something unusual in this type of way of the straight rear wall in the ceiling area in a canopy above, as is otherwise customary for the ceiling connection with semicircular apses. The four inner corners of the wall are interconnected by transverse ribs, which are derived via squinches in the corners of the inside and outside octagonal drum. The interior receives scanty light through each a narrow window in the gable ends and about in the cardinal directions of the drum walls. The dome is externally surmounted by an eight-sided pyramid roof. The drum and the gabled roofs of the side arms are again covered by a restoration with stone slabs, as they were originally present. The only entrance is in the west. The northern corner of the Westarms fills a later Attached tiny chapel with a semicircular apse.

The carefully assembled ashlar of the walls are made of the in Armenia widespread pink tuff, an easily worked rock that is worn today in the area of Artik and used for residential construction. The frieze bands over the arched windows that adorn interlocking circular shapes and a few embedded in the outer walls relief stones are of high quality. The profile on the gables stands out with a strongly curved fillet. The church was several times, last restored in 1977.

Painting

In the Apsiskalotte fragments the prophetic vision of Ezekiel in the Old Testament and the lower part of a Majestas Domini can be seen. The Majestas Domini shows Jesus Christ completely by a mandorla surrounded on his throne. Get remained a semi-circle of rainbow colored ( red-white- green stripe ) Mandorla and a part of the throne, standing on an ornate with precious stones base. On both sides of the mandorla are two symbols of the Evangelists ( Tetramorphe ). The figures are entwined by their wings. The white wings marked as a bull Luke are littered with large human eyes. The wheels on both sides, which are described in Ezekiel's vision, embody the powers of heaven. From them are flames upward. These themes are common in the eastern apses and European churches in the early Middle Ages, though four Jesus Christ laterally Associate Evangelist symbols are unusual for Armenia. They were also present at the cathedrals of mren and Talin. On the east wall of the north side of the apse of riding on a dark horse St George can be seen.

The murals of Lmbatavank were used for comparisons style. Coloring and stylistic features have been associated with the miniatures of the Syriac Gospels Rabbula - 586 and the Armenian Gospel Book of Queen Mlke of 862 in conjunction. The bright oval faces Tetramorphe appear similar in the final four, in 6/7 Century main miniatures on the Echmiadzin -Evangeliars.

The painting fragments were restored in September 2013 by the Italian restorer Christine Lamoureux and the Armenian- Italian architect Paolo Arà Zarian own initiative in essential parts. Low and worse than in Lmbatavank remained painting remains from the 7th century in the Cathedral of Aruchavank, in the churches and Ziranavor Karmrawor in Ashtarak and the early 14th century in the church of Our Lady of Jeghward in Ashtarak receive.