Yeghvard

Jeghward (Armenian Եղվարդ ), other transcriptions Yeghvard, Jeghvard, Ełvard, Eghvard, Eghiward, a city in the Central Armenian province of Kotayk few kilometers north of Yerevan with 12,191 inhabitants in 2008. Located in the center of the company founded in the early Christian period the town is the well-preserved mother of God Church ( Surb Astvatsatsin ), a three-storey grave church from the early 14th century, used for church services. The outer walls of the grave church are unusually richly decorated with reliefs. In its vicinity are the ruins of a three-aisled basilica from the 6th century, which belonged to a monastery.

Location

Jeghward located 19 kilometers north of the provincial capital Yerevan, at the point marked H4 extension of Jeghward Street in Davtaschen district. The H4 leads behind Jeghward through the neighboring village three kilometers away Zoravan further north on the eastern flank of the 2575 meter high Mount Ara over till it halfway joins the M4 motorway between Ashtarak and Aparan. Cross- connects to the H6 Jeghward with the 12 km western city of Ashtarak and with the same distant city Nor Hatschen in the east. The 1300 to 1500 meters high, flat undulating plain at the southern edge of the rugged volcano Ara ( Arai instructive ) is used as grazing land for cattle and sheep, for the cultivation of cereals and vegetables as well as in the home gardens of fruit trees. The serving for irrigation Arzni - Shamiram channel leads past the northern suburbs. West of the city, between Ashtarak, Mughni and Saghmosavank the plane is intersected by the deep gorge of Hrazdan. The ruins of the Circular Church Zoravar ( Sorawor ) from the 7th century stands in an open field near the village Zoravan and can be seen from the northern suburbs.

History

In the late Bronze Age ( 2nd millennium BC) there was a large settlement at the location of the place. In early Christian times, a smaller single-nave church was built out of the basilica still, of which only a few remnants remain. Jeghward was a bishopric in the Middle Ages and had a monastery which, according to the Armenian historian Vardan in the 13th century by Prince Grigor Mamikonian during the tenure of the Catholicos Anastas († 668 ) coinciding with the church in Mamikonians residence Arutsch was founded. In the 13th and 14th century Mongolian and Turkic nomads sold the settled on the slopes of Aragats and the Aras residents and turned the farmland summer pastures ( Yaylak ) for their cattle. As the Mother of God church was built, ruled the Mongol Ilkhanate Ghazan (r. 1295-1304 ) and his successor Öldscheitü (reigned 1304-1316 ) of the area.

The monastery was completely destroyed during the wars between the Ottoman Empire and the Persian Safavids in 1638 and 1735 and on the ruins of the basilica. During the socialist period was from 1921 Jeghward main town of Nairi, one of the 33 districts ( gavarak ) of the country. ( Nairi was the proper name of the Urartian and from the end of the 19th century, the middle name of nationalist Armenians for their country. )

Cityscape

In the census of 2001, the official population was given as 11,627. According to official statistics, in January 2008, 12,191 residents lived in Jeghward.

The main streets H4 and H6 cross in the south out of town. The village- looking old center consists of an irregularly branched road network on which series one - to two-story single-family homes whose gardens are bounded by walls to the street. In the gardens behind the houses fruit trees thrive ( chestnuts, apples) and vegetables. The Mother of God Church is located in a park in the maze of old streets. On the southern edge lies to the east of the Jerewanjan Street a residential and industrial area with five-storey apartment blocks.

The industrial enterprises of the city mainly produce food, especially dairy and grain products ( baked goods ), as well as alcoholic beverages (brandy ). In addition, the manufacturing of leather goods and sports shoes. There are several primary schools and four secondary schools.

Mother of God Church

Origin and Distribution

The Church of the Mother of God ( Surb Astvatsatsin ) is dated 1301 or 1321, depending on the interpretation according to an inscription above the entrance and was therefore founded by Prince Azizbek and his wife Vakhakh. In a colophon, the year 1318 represents the foundation and in the dome is painted the number 1328. Ilchane Since the exercise of the Christian religion from the early 14th century increasingly oppressed, the earliest possible construction period is expected to be most likely in 1301. According to historical sources, the church was restored in 1628 and 1745. The later destroyed tower tower was rebuilt in 1969-1970.

The Kirchenbautypen the second heyday of Armenian architecture from the 9th to the 12th century, date back to early Christian developments. The oldest Armenian central buildings of the 5th century consisted of a central hall with a square floor plan, which was covered by a dome with an intermediate cylindrical drum. The extension of such simple centralized buildings showed a symmetrical Tetrakonchos whose four semicircular apses as usually encased in rectangular or polygonal Mastara emerged from the side walls. A well-preserved example of the small cross-domed churches is Lmbatavank ( around 600 AD ). The Karmrawor Church of Ashtarak ( 7th century ) is a Monokonchos, in which, besides the eastern side of the other three arms are formed inside rectangular. A Trikonchos mentioned variant with three semicircular apses and a rectangular west arm is the Mother of God Church of talin from the first half of the 7th century. In their majority, they served as Mausoleumskirche and were surrounded by a cemetery.

Between the 10th and 14th centuries new grave churches were built in the area of ​​memory culture - artistically outstanding 1329 dated, applied as Monokonchos Areni Church, and in large numbers Chatschkare (cross- stones), positioned freely or as in the Holy Cross Church ( Surb Nshan ) of the monastery Tsaghats Kar and the grave crypt of the monastery Haghpat were integrated into the architecture. Added to this was the type of the small tower-like grave churches, of which 1339 completed and the Mother of God ( Surb Astvatsatsin ) Mausoleumskirche consecrated the monastery Noravank is of particular importance in the first half of the 14th century. As an architect, and for the image jewelry Responsible as mentioned in the Areni Church Momik. The Tower grave churches were used for burial of the regional ruling princes. The resulting as a tomb of a prince of the Orbelian family in Noravank three-storey tower church was built in the same design, a little later, larger and more elaborate design than the church in Jeghward. Another monument of this type remained with the 1349 dated St. John's Church is available on a hill northwest of the village Kaputan. In all three cases was located on the ground floor and upstairs hall, the grave of the prayer hall.

Design

The ground floor of the square building is a low dark room which is located a few steps deeper than the present ground level. He concludes in the east with a horseshoe-shaped altar apse and lateral rectangular side rooms off. The ceiling is constructed as a groin vault. In this former grave worship space of the Armenian Apostolic Christians are held. The walls of reddish tuff were blackened inside by candle soot over the centuries. Light falls almost exclusively through the open door on the west side of the room is in the other sides are each a tiny window slit in the middle. A later, serving as Gawit growing off the west side was removed during the restoration in 1969.

It is located on the second floor of a cross-shaped room with a straight east wall. This space is normally inaccessible. He could also be used to enter only one ajar wooden ladder. The ladder was based on two symmetrically arranged steps couples who stuck to the side of the top input from the wall and disappeared. At the church of Kaputan the upper input a multi-stage double staircase for applying the conductor is still present, however, the rich in Noravank supposed to take uncomfortable because very narrow stairs to the ground. Obviously, the floor in this type of church should not for everyone and may not be accessed at any time, because the liturgy was practiced only on special days.

In the third floor of the building is crowned by a as rotunda bell tower, whose conical roof supported by twelve columns with cubic capitals.

The architectural decoration of the exterior walls on the ground floor consists of simple parallel Wulstgesimsen with which the windows of the north and south sides are framed in a large cross and on the east side in a smaller square. A strict horizontal interlace separates the lower square structure of the overlying cross-shaped floor, whose facades are framed by lush relief decoration. The east gable is divided into three different levels of ogival fields. The central arch bear twin half-columns with square capitals. You frame a wall box in the middle of a braid defines a rectangle around the narrow window. Above the window is a panther to see the tears a goat. On the north side, a chimera is shown in stepwise increased average field over the window on the south side there is a rundbauchiger eagle holding an emaciated lamb in its talons.

Especially the rich west gable is decorated. Jump over the door of a lion on the right and left of a bull to each other. Make the coat of arms appearing as founder Orbelian family dar. The animal figures of the other sides symbolize exist harmoniously princely families ( nakharars ), which had ceased mutual hostilities in the 14th century, given the threat posed by the Timurids. Both animals separates the lower part of a large, formed of a braided cross, whose left cross beam carries the portrait of Madonna and Child in the attitude of a Hodegetria. Her head is conventional strictly straight but lovingly inclined towards the child does not like this type. The relief is similar stylistically to the Marie -Portrait in the tympanum of 1321 dated Mother of God Church of Spitakavor. Right opposite to the prophet Isaiah. The door itself is highlighted by a border of a braid, multiple beads and a string of asterisks. Some forms such as the muqarnas niche above the door, the stars and the bas-reliefs of animals on this site refer to Seljuk parallels, especially at the mausoleum of Kachin Dorbatli of 1314 ( in the territory of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh ). It could possibly act by the same architect who is mentioned in the case of Jeghward as Shahik and in the case of the Muslim structure as Shahenzi in the sources.

Basilica

About 300 meters northeast of the Mother of God Church are the remains of a three-aisled basilica from early Christian times, which is dated by Style examinations beginning of the 7th century and probably around 600 during the tenure of the Catholicos Movses ( Moses II, 574-604 ) was built. The external dimensions of the still with about five layers of mighty tuff ashlars upstanding walls including the amount outstanding from the east wall of the apse 31.5 × 14.1 meters. The apse was completely disappeared after the investigations Josef Strzygowski, who found a place for freshly excavated during his visit in September 1913 inside a horseshoe and outside five sides. The two cavity walls is about 1.2 meters thick.

Of the two rows of four pillars are only obtained fragments. The T-shaped pillars once wore three barrel vaults and were connected by arches in each row and by transverse arches in the transverse direction. While Strzygowski counted the church in 1918 to the hall churches, the strength of the pillars rather speaks for a high average vault, as is usual for a basilica. Unusually, in addition to the main entrance on the western side of three inputs on the long sides, and their location was not related to the column assembly. The nave was twice as wide as the aisles. The latter ended - unique for Armenian basilicas - the east in small semicircular apses, which had been dug into the outer wall. You obviously correspond to the Ostabschlüssen fitted to the longitudinal walls of porticoes, as occurred in older basilicas. Herein and in the proportions of the basilica with the first cathedral of Dvin from the 5th century is comparable.

Snatches of the relief decoration have received at the portals of the south wall. The lintel of the middle entrance of the south side is decorated with a cross medallion, fine grooves of them belong to a former rectangular frame. The dental and ball decoration on the stone on the right side was part of an arc that was surrounded by a Tympanonfeld. It could be that the basilica on the site of an earlier church and this in turn was built on or near a pagan place of worship. An inscription of 660 indicates a restoration and probably a new roof cover at this time. On this occasion, probably the original wooden ceiling was replaced by a massive stone construction.

Single-nave church

A few yards north of the basilica was a single-nave church. The ruins, of which only a few square the bottom row of stones are visible, located in a private garden behind a house. As the ruins were excavated end of the 19th century, the remains of an inside 6.6 meters wide and including the semi-circular apse projecting from the east wall 21.2 meters long hall church came to light. The barrel- vaulted nave was divided in the middle by a transverse arches and pilasters. The apse was measured at 4.9 meters wide and 3.8 meters deep. One or three orders were in the south wall and an entrance in the narrow western wall. By means of some stones in relief and one or two capitals, which were the beginning of the 20th century still exist, but are missing today, the Church carefully fifth to end or beginning of the 6th century is dated.

In the old cemetery in the vicinity are some Chatschkare and the remains of a Tukh - Manuk Shrine, which is still worshiped by the people.