Saint Hakob of Akori monastery
39.720144.3785Koordinaten: 39 ° 43 ' 12 " N, 44 ° 22' 43 " O
The Monastery of St. Hakob of Akori (Armenian Ակոռիի Սուրբ Հակոբ վանք Akori Surb Hakob Vank, sometimes also referred to as Saint James ) was a built in the year 341 Armenian monastery in the southeastern part of the province Iğdır in today's Turkey, located 4.7 km south-west of Akori (now Yenidoğan ) is a village on the northeast slope of Mount Ararat.
Architecture
The Monastery of St. Hakob was a cross-shaped building made of black stone with a central dome, which was typical of the Armenian Apostolic churches of that time. The monastery had engraved on the walls Eucharistic inscriptions that date back to the 13th and 14th centuries.
History
The St. Hakob Monastery was founded in 341 by Jacob of Nisibis, the second bishop of Nisibis, who lived after Christ in the 3rd and 4th century. It was built on the northeast slope of Mount Ararat in the former Canton Masyatsotn the United Ayrarat province in the Kingdom of Armenia; the big mountain is referred to as Armenian Masis (Armenian Մասիս ). Some early sources state that Saint Jacob was the name of the monastery, while there was also a chapel next door; other sources claim that both call the same place. The monastery is said to have possessed relics of wood from the Biblical Noah's ark. A strong earthquake occurred at Mount Ararat place on July 2, 1840, which destroyed the monastery of Saint Hakob, Arakelots Vank in the neighboring village Akori as well as the village itself.
Folklore
According to legend, St. James tried many times to climb Mount Ararat to find the Noah's Ark, which should be buried under thick layers of ice on Parrot Glacier on the top of the mountain. He could climb the mountain, fell asleep and woke up again at downhill, where he came from. " No longer attempts to find the Ark I'll give you a piece of wood from which the ark was carved. ": After repeated failed attempts to him one day God told in a dream. When he awoke, he found to his surprise next to a piece of wood. He decided to build the monastery on the spot where he had found the wood.