The Historical Monuments of Armenia

Armenia is a museum in the open air. This sentence was uttered by Rockwell Kent, when he visited Armenia in the 1960s. We can’t find any ancient houses, palaces or other old dwelling   constructions in our country. The only preserved historical monuments in Armenia are churches and monasteries and that is logically true. Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as state religion, and the first state built church in the world is considered to be the Mother Cathedral in Echmiatsin which was built in 303AD. It was founded by the first Armenian Catholicos St Gregory. In fact it is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. The Mother Cathedral in Echmiatsin is the holy centre of the Armenian Apostolic Church and is inscripted into UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000.

The cathedral has a cruciform plan and is central domed. The interior of the church is covered with frescos created by Hovnatanyan family. The entrance is carved and it is very beautiful.

There are four more churches in Echmiatsin: St Hripsimeh Church which has the biggest dome among all Armenian churches, St Gayaneh Church with a churchyard cemetery, St Shoghakat Church and St Astvatsatsin Church.The residence of the Catholicos of all Armenians Garegin the 2^nd is not far from the Mother Cathedral.

 

St Hripsimeh Church was built in 618 AD. It has a cruciform plan and has the simplicity and purity of the Armenian architecture of the high Middle Ages. It is a real masterpiece.

St Gayaneh Church was built in 630AD. Slender and delicate proportions are distinguishing features of this church.

Not far from Echmiatsin we can see the ruins of an ancient temple. These are the ruins of the famous Temple of Zvartnots. The temple was erected in 659 and was destroyed by the earthquake.

Geghard is an incredible ancient Armenian monastery which is partly carved out of a mountain. The monastery was built in the 4^th century but the main cathedral was built in 1215. There are two small chambers here with extraordinarily pure and great acoustics. Here one wants to sing or recite.

Spitakavor Church

Spitakavor means “Whitish” because its exterior is whitewashed. It’s situated in Aragatsotn Province of Armenia near Ashtarak. It was built between the 13th-14th centuries.The churches Karmravor, S. Mariane and S. Sarkis are situated nearby.

Restoration works during 1963-1964 revealed buried walls, piers, arches and some other fragments.

There is a legend about Spitakavor church.

According to this legend, three sisters fell in love with the same man, Prince Sargis. The elder two sisters decided to commit suicide in favor of the youngest one. One wearing an apricot-orange dress and the other wearing a red dress, they threw themselves into the gorge. When the youngest sister found out what had happened, she put on a white dress and also threw herself into the gorge. Sargis then became a hermit and three small churches appeared at the edge of the gorge, named after the sisters' dress colors.

 

Ghazanchetsots (Amenaprkich) church in Shushi

Ghazanchetsots St. Amenaprkich Cathedral is in Shushi in the heart of Artsakh. It is really a very beautiful church. It is beautiful with its architectural solutions and the unique building material marble like white stone.

The exterior is rich in luxurious ornament-carvings especially on the arches of doors and windows.

Goshavank

 Goshavank is a 12-13th century Armenian monastery located in the village of  Gosh in the Tavush Province of Armenia. Today the monastery is not a functioning religious complex, although it remains a popular tourist destination and has recently undergone some light restoration. The impressive monastery which has remained in relatively good condition also houses one of the world's finest examples of a khachkar. Goshavank  had been destroyed by 1188 in the result of an earthquake.

The complex was later renamed Goshavank and the village was named Gosh in his honor. 

Odzun monastery

Odzun monastery is near Alaverdi. It was built in the sixth century. There are two small constructions beside the monastery. These constructions show biblical scenes and the Christianization of Armenia.

Gandzasar

The church Gandzasar is on a high hill, near the River Khachen. The real name of this church is St. Hovhannes. The church was built by the Jalalyans princes in the 1216-1238s. The landscape around the hill on which the church is, is extraordinarily beautiful. Forest covered mountains surround the hill and the panorama differs from different places on the hill. The only thing that is not beautiful, is the ugly wall surrounding the church.
Gandzasar is near the village Vanq which is seen from the hill.

Noravank

Noravank is a 13^th century church situated near the city of Yeghegnadzor, Vayots Dzor. It is located in a narrow gorge which is known for its tall brick-red cliffs. The church was built near the river Amaghu. Noravank is often called Noravank at Amaghu to distinguish it from Bgheno-Noravank which is located near Goris. The monastery is known for its two-storey St. Astvatsatsin church. Many khachkars have been  found here. Noravank was founded in 1205 by Bishop Hovhannes, a former abbot of Vahanavank near the present-day city of Kapan in Syunik. The monastic complex includes the church of S. Karapet, S. Grigor chapel with a vaulted hall, and the church of S. Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God).The sculptor of Noravank was Momik.The fortress walls surrounding the complex were built in the 17th–18th centuries.There is a legend about Noravank. The ruler of Syunik promised Momik to give him his daughter if he built  a monastery for him. But he deceived the poor sculptor. When Momik was putting the last stone the ruler pushed him off the wall and so he was killed.This is a hole. There is a khachkar at the bottom.

The Monastery of Tatev

The Monastery of Tatev is a 9th century Armenian monastery situated in Syunik in southern Armenia. In the 14th and 15th centuries Tatev Monastery hosted one of the most important Armenian medieval universities. There is a legend about this monastery.The legend tells of an event about the construction of the main church. A church secretary climbed to the top of the church for placing a cross. Shocked by his discovery he lost his foothold and fell . He called God to grant him wings, which, in Armenian is: “Ta Tev”. The monastery of Tatev consists of three churches (St. Paul and Peter, St. Gregory and St. Mary), a library, dining hall, mausoleum as well as other buildings.

Tatev famous part is gavazan-column. The purpose of the column is to give early warning signals about possible earthquakes.

It is included in the list of UNESCO.

It has the longest ropeway in the world which is 5.7 km and is inscribed in Guiness Book of Records.

 Haghartsin Monastery

Haghartsin is a 13century monastery located near the town of Dilijan.  It was built between the 10th and 14th century, much of it under the patronage (հովանավորություն) of the Bagratuni Dynasty. St. Astvatsatsin Church in Haghardzin (1281) is the largest building and the dominant artistic feature. St. Astvatsatsin Church in Haghardzin (1281) is the largest building and the dominant artistic feature. The gavit of St. Astvatsatsin Church is severely damaged.

The ruins show clearly where it stood; however, the walls are almost completely destroyed.