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St. Grigor Monastery: Architectural Jewel of Bardzrakash Village in Lori
(Photo) Sona Avagyan
http://hetq.am/eng/news/18015/st-grigor-monastery-architectural-jewel-of-bardzrakash-village-in-lori-photo.html
12:35, September 1, 2012
The road sign pointing the way to the St. Grigor Monastery leads visitors
along the edge of a deep canyon.
We are in the forested mountains of Armenia's Lori Marz, near the village
of Bardzrakash.
Walking down the path, we come across broken stone crosses covered in moss
and the occasional undamaged ones.
According to the sign posted on the tree, this small structure is the St.
Haroutyun Chapel. However, Armenian architect specialist Samvel Karapetyan
believes it's more likely that the crumbling edifice is a burial vault.
Another interesting site along the way is the spring colloquially named
Gikor's Spring. In his novel Gikor, the writer Hovhannes Toumanyan refers
to this spring as where Hambo stops for as drink.
A few minutes later we approach the monastery. The church to the north was
built in the 10th century. Next to it Martzpan, the son of Prince
Mamigonian Sargis, built the St. Astvatsatzin Church in 1221. Karapetyan
says that the entire complex is rich in historical inscriptions and that
the architect really poured his heart and soul into the job.
The name of the architect isn't known, but there is the possibility that
it is inscribed somewhere on one of the stones.
The accompanying photos reveal the decrepit state of the monastery today.
What remains of the standing structures leans this way and that. Karapetyan
assumes that the monastery was in such a sad state as far back as the 18th
century.
Here we see the dynastic emblem of the Mamigonian family - a two headed
eagle clutching a lamb in its talons.
This sign, on the wall of the church, cautions visitors not to light
candles on the stone crosses. Elsewhere there are signs requesting that
people do not deface the holy site with graffiti. It seems that the message
hasn't gotten across to many.
Within the confines of the monastery is the cemetery of the Mamigonian
dynasty. Perhaps these grave stones mark the resting place of some of them.
Back in 2009, the RA Ministry of Culture included the site in its list of
26 severely endangered regional monuments to be monitored.
Deputy Minister of Culture Arev Samuelyan told Hetq that plans to research
and restore the monastery have been included in the 2013-2015 budget.
Samvel Karapetyan said that such a project, given the nearly inaccessible
conditions, would take at least 10 years and cost $80 to $100 million. The
architectural specialist says that what remains standing would have to be
pulled down and the project started from scratch.
Narineh Toukhikyan, director of the Hovhannes Toumanyan House-Museum, says
that the monastery appears in ten glass negatives taken by the writer.
Toumanyan took the photos in the early 1900s. What follows are the photos
he took.
In the last one we see Toumanyan and his friends.
(Photo) Sona Avagyan
http://hetq.am/eng/news/18015/st-grigor-monastery-architectural-jewel-of-bardzrakash-village-in-lori-photo.html
12:35, September 1, 2012
The road sign pointing the way to the St. Grigor Monastery leads visitors
along the edge of a deep canyon.
We are in the forested mountains of Armenia's Lori Marz, near the village
of Bardzrakash.
Walking down the path, we come across broken stone crosses covered in moss
and the occasional undamaged ones.
According to the sign posted on the tree, this small structure is the St.
Haroutyun Chapel. However, Armenian architect specialist Samvel Karapetyan
believes it's more likely that the crumbling edifice is a burial vault.
Another interesting site along the way is the spring colloquially named
Gikor's Spring. In his novel Gikor, the writer Hovhannes Toumanyan refers
to this spring as where Hambo stops for as drink.
A few minutes later we approach the monastery. The church to the north was
built in the 10th century. Next to it Martzpan, the son of Prince
Mamigonian Sargis, built the St. Astvatsatzin Church in 1221. Karapetyan
says that the entire complex is rich in historical inscriptions and that
the architect really poured his heart and soul into the job.
The name of the architect isn't known, but there is the possibility that
it is inscribed somewhere on one of the stones.
The accompanying photos reveal the decrepit state of the monastery today.
What remains of the standing structures leans this way and that. Karapetyan
assumes that the monastery was in such a sad state as far back as the 18th
century.
Here we see the dynastic emblem of the Mamigonian family - a two headed
eagle clutching a lamb in its talons.
This sign, on the wall of the church, cautions visitors not to light
candles on the stone crosses. Elsewhere there are signs requesting that
people do not deface the holy site with graffiti. It seems that the message
hasn't gotten across to many.
Within the confines of the monastery is the cemetery of the Mamigonian
dynasty. Perhaps these grave stones mark the resting place of some of them.
Back in 2009, the RA Ministry of Culture included the site in its list of
26 severely endangered regional monuments to be monitored.
Deputy Minister of Culture Arev Samuelyan told Hetq that plans to research
and restore the monastery have been included in the 2013-2015 budget.
Samvel Karapetyan said that such a project, given the nearly inaccessible
conditions, would take at least 10 years and cost $80 to $100 million. The
architectural specialist says that what remains standing would have to be
pulled down and the project started from scratch.
Narineh Toukhikyan, director of the Hovhannes Toumanyan House-Museum, says
that the monastery appears in ten glass negatives taken by the writer.
Toumanyan took the photos in the early 1900s. What follows are the photos
he took.
In the last one we see Toumanyan and his friends.