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{{short description|Armenian monastery}}
{{Infobox religious building {{Infobox religious building
| building_name = Amaras Monastery<br/>Ամարաս վանք | building_name = Amaras Monastery
⚫ | image = Amaras Russian peacekeepers 2021.jpg
| infobox_width =
| caption = The monastery in 2021<ref>{{cite web |title=Russian peacekeepers ensure safe visits to over 50 pilgrims to Amaras Monastery in Nagorno-Karabakh |url=https://eng.mil.ru/en/russian_peacekeeping_forces/news/more.htm?id=12391656@egNews |website=mil.ru |publisher=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225113625/https://eng.mil.ru/en/russian_peacekeeping_forces/news/more.htm?id=12391656@egNews |archive-date=25 December 2021}}</ref>
⚫ | image =Amaras-church.jpeg
| image_size = | image_upright = 1.5
⚫ | map_type = Azerbaijan
| caption = The church of St. Grigoris of the Amaras Monastery (established in the 4th century, rebuilt in the 19th century)
| map_type = Nagorno-Karabakh Republic | map_size = 300
| location = near the village of ], ]
⚫ | map_size = 275
| location = near ], ],<br/>{{flag|Nagorno-Karabakh Republic}} | country = {{flag|Azerbaijan}}
| coordinates = {{coord|39.684|47.057|type:landmark_region:AZ|display=inline,title}}
| geo =
| latitude = 39.684
| longitude = 47.057
| religious_affiliation = ] | religious_affiliation = ]
| rite = | region =
| region = | state =
| state = | province =
| province =
| territory = | territory =
| prefecture =
| sector =
| district =
| cercle =
| municipality =
| consecration_year = | consecration_year =
| status = | status =
| functional_status = | functional_status =
| heritage_designation = | heritage_designation =
| leadership = | website =
| website =
| architecture = yes | architecture = yes
| architect = | architect =
| architecture_type = | architecture_type =
| architecture_style = ] | architecture_style = ]
| general_contractor =
| facade_direction = | facade_direction =
| groundbreaking = 4th-19th century | groundbreaking =
| year_completed = | year_completed = 4th century (established); 1858 (rebuilt)
| construction_cost =
| specifications =
| capacity = | capacity =
| length = | length =
Line 45: Line 34:
| dome_quantity = | dome_quantity =
| dome_height_outer = | dome_height_outer =
| dome_height_inner =
| dome_dia_outer =
| dome_dia_inner =
| minaret_quantity =
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}} }}


'''Amaras Monastery''' ({{lang-hy|Ամարաս վանք}}) is one of the oldest Christian sites in ], and is an ] monastery located near the village of Sos in the ] county of the ].<ref>Khatcherian, Hrair. ''Artsakh: A Photographic Journey''. Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, 1997, p. 6. {{OCLC|37785365}}</ref> '''Amaras Monastery''' ({{langx|hy|Ամարաս վանք}}) is an ] monastery<ref>Thomas De Waal/ The Caucasus: An Introduction/ Oxford University Press -2018, p.103- pp.312{{quote|The demographics of the region have fluctuated sharply over time, but an Armenian presence has been recorded there off and on for centuries, and the hills are dotted with medieval Armenian churches, such as Amaras and Gandzasar.}}</ref> near the village of ], in the region of ], ].<ref>Khatcherian, Hrair. ''Artsakh: A Photographic Journey''. Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, 1997, p. 6. {{OCLC|37785365}}</ref> It was a prominent religious and educational center in medieval Armenia.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Hasratyan|first=M. M.|author-link=Murad Hasratyan|title=Ամարասի ճարտարապետական համալիրը |journal=]|date=1975|issue=5|pages=35–52|url=http://lraber.asj-oa.am/5416/|language=hy}}</ref>

] denies the monastery's ] heritage, instead referring to it as "]".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Amaras məbədi - XOCAVƏND RAYON Icra Hakimiyyəti|url=http://www.xocavend-ih.gov.az/page/143.html|access-date=2021-05-28|website=www.xocavend-ih.gov.az}}</ref>


== History == == History ==
]
According to Armenia's 5th-century chronicler ], ] founded a church in what was to become Amaras Monastery at the start of the 4th century.
]
]
=== 4th–5th centuries ===
According to medieval chroniclers ] and ], ], the patron saint and evangelizer of Armenia, founded the Amaras Monastery at the start of the fourth century.<ref>Pavstos Byuzand. Armenian History. Yerevan. 1987. page 17</ref><ref>Movses Kaghankatvatsi. History of Aluank. Book I. Chapter XIV. {{quote|After accepting the rank of high priest, he left to enlighten the countries of Iberia and Aluank. He arrived in the ghavar of Haband and preached and admonished not to break the commandments of the Son of God. Here he began the building of a church in Amaras and hired workers and foremen to finish it. After returning to Armenia, he consecrated and appointed instead of himself his son Vrtanes, filled with his father's virtues, who lived according to the teaching and punished and admonished all those who adhered to the heresy of idol-worship.}}</ref>


Amaras was the burial place of St. Gregory the Illuminator's grandson, ] (died in 338). A tomb built for his remains still survives under the apse of the 19th-century church of St. Grigoris. Amaras was the burial place of St. Gregory the Illuminator's grandson, ] (died in 338). A tomb built for his remains survives under the apse of the nineteenth-century Church of St. Grigoris.


At the beginning of the fifth century ], the inventor of the ], established in Amaras the first school in Artsakh that used his script.<ref>{{cite web |title=Amaras Monastery |url=https://artsakhdiocese.am/en/churches/gortsox/gortsogh-vanqer-yekeghetsiner/martunu-shrjan/amarasi-vanky |website=artsakhdiocese.am |publisher=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230921010856/https://artsakhdiocese.am/web/20230921010856/https://artsakhdiocese.am/en/churches/gortsox/gortsogh-vanqer-yekeghetsiner/martunu-shrjan/amarasi-vanky |archive-date=21 September 2023 |quote=In the 5th century St. Mesrop Mashtots opened the first Armenian school in Artsakh at Amaras.}}</ref>
]
At the beginning of the 5th century ], the inventor of the ], established in Amaras the first-ever school that used his script. <ref>Viviano, Frank. "The Rebirth of Armenia", '']'', March 2004</ref>


=== Destruction and restoration (13th–19th centuries) ===
The monastery was plundered in the 13th century by the ], destroyed in 1387 during ]'s invasion, and demolished again in the 16th century. It underwent radical restructuring in the second quarter of the 17th century when the surviving defensive walls were constructed. The monastery was plundered in the thirteenth century by the ], destroyed in 1387 during ]'s invasion, and demolished again in the sixteenth century. It underwent radical restructuring in the second quarter of the seventeenth century when the surviving defensive walls were constructed.


Amaras was later abandoned, and in the first half of the 19th century the monastery served as a frontier fortress for Russian imperial troops. Amaras was later abandoned, and in the first half of the nineteenth century the monastery was used as a ] by ] troops.


The ] reclaimed the monastery in 1848. The monastery's church appears to have been severely damaged during the period of military occupation, to the extent that a new church had to be constructed on the site of the old one. This new church, dedicated to St. Grigoris, was built in 1858 and paid for by the Armenians of the city of ]. It still survives and is a three-nave basilica constructed from bright white stone. The ] reclaimed the monastery in 1848. The monastery's church appears to have been severely damaged during the period of military occupation, to the extent that a new church had to be constructed on the site of the old one. This new church, dedicated to St. Grigoris, was built in 1858 and paid for by the Armenians of the city of ].


During the ] the monastery was reported to fall under Azerbaijani control on 20 September 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.am/eng/news/781917.html|title=Amaras Monastery has fallen under Azerbaijani control - Mesrop Arakelyan|date=20 September 2023|website=news.am|access-date=20 September 2023|archive-date=20 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230920071635/https://news.am/eng/news/781917.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
The monastery was abandoned during the Soviet period.


==Tomb of St. Grigoris== == Tomb of St. Grigoris ==
]
St. Grigoris was originally buried at the eastern end of the now vanished St. Gregory church. In 489 Vachagan III the Pious, king of Aghvank, renovated Amaras, restoring the church and constructing a new chapel for the remains of St. Grigoris. In later centuries a church was built over this chapel-tomb.
] was originally buried at the eastern end of the now-vanished St. Gregory Church. Archeologists think that the eastern entrance of the tomb, which is unusual for traditional church architecture, is based on the ] in Jerusalem.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theconversation.com/armenians-displaced-from-nagorno-karabakh-fear-their-medieval-churches-will-be-destroyed-149141|title=Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh fear their medieval churches will be destroyed}}</ref> In 489 Vachagan III the Pious, king of Caucasian Albania, renovated Amaras, restoring the church and constructing a new chapel for the remains of St. Grigoris. In later centuries, a church was built over this chapel-tomb.


Under the altar of the St. Grigoris church is a tomb chamber reached at its western end by twin flights of steps. A blocked passage at its eastern end indicates there was originally an entrance from that direction as well. The barrel-vaulted tomb chamber is 1.9m wide, 3.75 long, and 3.5m high. The upper half of the structure originally projected 1.5 to 2m above ground level, but it is now entirely underground. Carved details date it stylistically to the 5th century. <ref>M. Hasratyan, "Amaras", Yerevan 1990.</ref> Under the altar of the St. Grigoris church is a tomb chamber, reached at its western end by twin flights of steps. A blocked passage at its eastern end indicates that there was originally an entrance from that direction as well. The barrel-vaulted tomb chamber is 1.9 m wide, 3.75 m long, and 3.5 m high. The upper half of the structure originally projected 1.5 to 2 m above ground level, but it is now entirely underground. Carved details date it stylistically to the 5th century.<ref>M. Hasratyan, "Amaras", Yerevan 1990.</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
Grigoris mausoleum Artsakh Sos 03.jpg|Sarcophagus of St. Grigoris in the funeral crypt
Վանական համալիր «Ամարաս» 7 (31).jpg|Protective walls
Վանական համալիր «Ամարաս» 7 (27).jpg|Courtyard
Amaras (12).JPG|Monastery vaults
Amaras 19.JPG|Church of St. Grigoris interior
</gallery>


== See also == == See also ==
* ]
⚫ {{commonscat|Amaras}}
* ]
* ]
* ] * ]


==References== == References ==
{{reflist}} {{Reflist}}

⚫ ==External links==
*
*


⚫ == External links ==
⚫ {{Commons category|Amaras}}
*
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220507030042/https://avproduction.am/?ln=am&page=culture&id=58 |date=2022-05-07 }}


{{Armenian Churches}} {{Armenian Churches}}


{{authority control|state=expanded}}
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⚫ ]
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Latest revision as of 11:39, 2 November 2024

Armenian monastery
Amaras Monastery
The monastery in 2021
Religion
AffiliationArmenian Apostolic Church
Location
Locationnear the village of Sos, Nagorno-Karabakh
Country Azerbaijan
Amaras Monastery is located in AzerbaijanAmaras MonasteryShown within Azerbaijan
Geographic coordinates39°41′02″N 47°03′25″E / 39.684°N 47.057°E / 39.684; 47.057
Architecture
StyleArmenian
Completed4th century (established); 1858 (rebuilt)
Website
www.amaras.org

Amaras Monastery (Armenian: Ամարաս վանք) is an Armenian monastery near the village of Sos, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan. It was a prominent religious and educational center in medieval Armenia.

Azerbaijan denies the monastery's Armenian Apostolic heritage, instead referring to it as "Caucasian Albanian".

History

Monastery complex
Defensive walls
plan of Amaras complex

4th–5th centuries

According to medieval chroniclers Faustus Byuzand and Movses Kaghankatvatsi, St. Gregory the Illuminator, the patron saint and evangelizer of Armenia, founded the Amaras Monastery at the start of the fourth century.

Amaras was the burial place of St. Gregory the Illuminator's grandson, St. Grigoris (died in 338). A tomb built for his remains survives under the apse of the nineteenth-century Church of St. Grigoris.

At the beginning of the fifth century Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the Armenian alphabet, established in Amaras the first school in Artsakh that used his script.

Destruction and restoration (13th–19th centuries)

The monastery was plundered in the thirteenth century by the Mongols, destroyed in 1387 during Timur's invasion, and demolished again in the sixteenth century. It underwent radical restructuring in the second quarter of the seventeenth century when the surviving defensive walls were constructed.

Amaras was later abandoned, and in the first half of the nineteenth century the monastery was used as a frontier fortress by Russian imperial troops.

The Armenian Apostolic Church reclaimed the monastery in 1848. The monastery's church appears to have been severely damaged during the period of military occupation, to the extent that a new church had to be constructed on the site of the old one. This new church, dedicated to St. Grigoris, was built in 1858 and paid for by the Armenians of the city of Shushi.

During the 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes the monastery was reported to fall under Azerbaijani control on 20 September 2023.

Tomb of St. Grigoris

Plan of St. Grigoris Tomb

St. Grigoris was originally buried at the eastern end of the now-vanished St. Gregory Church. Archeologists think that the eastern entrance of the tomb, which is unusual for traditional church architecture, is based on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. In 489 Vachagan III the Pious, king of Caucasian Albania, renovated Amaras, restoring the church and constructing a new chapel for the remains of St. Grigoris. In later centuries, a church was built over this chapel-tomb.

Under the altar of the St. Grigoris church is a tomb chamber, reached at its western end by twin flights of steps. A blocked passage at its eastern end indicates that there was originally an entrance from that direction as well. The barrel-vaulted tomb chamber is 1.9 m wide, 3.75 m long, and 3.5 m high. The upper half of the structure originally projected 1.5 to 2 m above ground level, but it is now entirely underground. Carved details date it stylistically to the 5th century.

Gallery

  • Sarcophagus of St. Grigoris in the funeral crypt Sarcophagus of St. Grigoris in the funeral crypt
  • Protective walls Protective walls
  • Courtyard Courtyard
  • Monastery vaults Monastery vaults
  • Church of St. Grigoris interior Church of St. Grigoris interior

See also

References

  1. "Russian peacekeepers ensure safe visits to over 50 pilgrims to Amaras Monastery in Nagorno-Karabakh". mil.ru. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021.
  2. Thomas De Waal/ The Caucasus: An Introduction/ Oxford University Press -2018, p.103- pp.312

    The demographics of the region have fluctuated sharply over time, but an Armenian presence has been recorded there off and on for centuries, and the hills are dotted with medieval Armenian churches, such as Amaras and Gandzasar.

  3. Khatcherian, Hrair. Artsakh: A Photographic Journey. Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, 1997, p. 6. OCLC 37785365
  4. Hasratyan, M. M. (1975). "Ամարասի ճարտարապետական համալիրը [Architectural complex of Amaras]". Lraber Hasarakakan Gitutyunneri (in Armenian) (5): 35–52.
  5. "Amaras məbədi - XOCAVƏND RAYON Icra Hakimiyyəti". www.xocavend-ih.gov.az. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  6. Pavstos Byuzand. Armenian History. Yerevan. 1987. page 17
  7. Movses Kaghankatvatsi. History of Aluank. Book I. Chapter XIV.

    After accepting the rank of high priest, he left to enlighten the countries of Iberia and Aluank. He arrived in the ghavar of Haband and preached and admonished not to break the commandments of the Son of God. Here he began the building of a church in Amaras and hired workers and foremen to finish it. After returning to Armenia, he consecrated and appointed instead of himself his son Vrtanes, filled with his father's virtues, who lived according to the teaching and punished and admonished all those who adhered to the heresy of idol-worship.

  8. "Amaras Monastery". artsakhdiocese.am. Diocese of Artsakh. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. In the 5th century St. Mesrop Mashtots opened the first Armenian school in Artsakh at Amaras.
  9. "Amaras Monastery has fallen under Azerbaijani control - Mesrop Arakelyan". news.am. 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  10. "Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh fear their medieval churches will be destroyed".
  11. M. Hasratyan, "Amaras", Yerevan 1990.

External links

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