| Hovig Saghdejian's memorial khachkar in Aryoum Village - 117 sec
Hovig Saghdejian volunteered on the Land and Culture Organization's (LCO) July 2003 Campaign in the village of Medz Ayroum, a small village near Armenia's northern border.
Auteur : nabasdak
Tags: Armenia Aryoum village Hovig Saghdejian Land and culture organization LCO ANCA fellowship
 | | armenia - 67 sec
oshakan-khachkar
Auteur : arseyay
Tags: oshakan.khachkar.armenia
| | Beautiful Armenian Landscape - 295 sec
ONe of the most beautiful landskapes in the World. Visit Armenia. Rich History,Fantastic Landskape,Hospitalible people,very tasty food :)) Noah`s Route,Your Route
Auteur : amico2893
Tags:Armenia landskape Armenian khachkar Sevan Ararat Vivaldi
| | 30 days in Armenia - part 1 - 410 sec
Pictures from my trips to Armenia in 1999 and 2001. To be continued.
http://hachik.livejournal.com
Auteur : hachik
Tags:Armenia Sayat Nova duduk shvi zurna bloul dhol Hayastan khachkar Sevan Sanahin Geghard
| | 30 days in Armenia - part 2 - 539 sec
The pictures from my trips to Armenia - in 1999 and 2001.
http://hachik.livejournal.com
Auteur : hachik
Tags:Hayastan Armenia dhol duduk zurna bloul khachkar Sevan travel Erevan Ashtarak Noravank
| | THE NEW TEARS OF ARAXES - 318 sec
Featuring a never-seen-before satellite image of a vandalized medieval cemetery at the Iranian-Azerbaijani border, "The New Tears of Araxes," a five-minute film, tells the tragic story of thousands of ancient Armenian headstones flattened to the ground by the Azerbaijani authorities in Djulfa or Julfa (Jugha in Armenian), Nakhichevan.
On December 15, 2005, eyewitnesses across the River Araxes videotaped Azeri soldiers destroying Armenian burial monuments - khachkars (cross stones) - some as old as 1,500 years. Azerbaijani officials denied the vandalism, but banned European Parliament members from visiting the site in March of 2006. Only a few outside news sources tried to publicize the tragedy.
"The New Tears of Araxes" is written by Sarah Pickman, a University of Chicago student, who was the only American reporter to cover the tragedy when she interned for Archaeology Magazine. Producer and narrator Simon Maghakyan, who is among America's top 20 college students according to USA TODAY (April 24, 2006), hopes the film will break a year of ignorance and silence. When asked why others should care, Maghakyan quotes Martin Luther King Jr. as saying, "Injustice anywhere is threat to justice everywhere."
Music by Djivan Gasparian (Gladiator, The Passion of the Christ, Munich, Syriana); Digital sound track production by Transtar Entertainment Group; Photographs by Research on Armenian Architecture, and Argam Ayvazian; Footage of 2005 destruction by Tabriz's Armenian Church, Iran; Satellite image by Digital Globe; Map by The Times, London. © Simon Maghakyan 2006.
To learn more about the deliberate destruction of the world's largest Armenian archaeological site, visit the Djulfa Virtual Memorial and Museum - http://www.djulfa.com.
Sept 2007 update: Azerbaijani authorities are razing another Armenian cemetery in Baku, the capital city of the South Caucasus republic - http://www.iwpr.net/?p=crs&s=f&o=338840&apc_state=henfcrs338838
Additional Tags: Culfa, Jougha, Djougha, Giulfa, Dzhulfa, Chugha, Chougha, Julfa, Armenia, Armenians, Amenian History, Nagorno Karabakh, Gharabagh, Cultural Genocide, Nakhchivan, Naxcivan, Naxcuvan, khachkars, khatchkars, tombstone, tombstones, khachkar, khatchkar, Iranian border, River Arax, River Aras, Atrpatakan, Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, cultural destruction, military rifle range, shooting range, desecration of Armenian skeletons, grave, graveyard, archaeological, UNESCO, ICOMOS, European Parliament, Jivan Gasparyan, Duduk music, Doudouk.
Auteur : Blogian
Tags: vandalism Iran Azerbaijan Djulfa Culfa Jugha Nakhichevan Armenian cemetery medieval denial documentary army archaeology
| | Stonehenge of the Middle East - 21 sec
Karahouj is to the Middle East what Stonehenge is to Europe. Only Karahouj is much older having dated back to 5000BC. It is believed that this is the world's first observatory. Karahouj consists of over a hundred stones and each stone has a smooth angled hole about 4 to 5cm in diameter that point to different spots of the Horizon and space. Karahouj is currently located in Armenia.
Auteur : ArMeNiAnGuY101
Tags:Armenia Armenian Monument Stonehenge Ancient Karahouj Zorkar Khachkar Middle East
| | Haghartsin monastery (Arménie/Armenia) - 56 sec
Haghartsin is a 13th century monastery located near the town of Dilijan, Armenia. It was built between the 10th and 14th century; much of it under the patronage of the Bagratuni Dynasty.
St. Astvatsatsin Church in Haghardzin (1281) is the largest building and the dominant artistic feature. The sixteen-faced dome is decorated with arches, the bases of whose columns are connected by triangular ledges and spheres, with a band around the drum's bottom. This adds to the optical height of the dome and creates the impression that its drum is weightless. The platband of the southern portal's architrave is framed with rows of trefoils.
The sculptural group of the church's eastern facade differs in composition from the similar bas-reliefs of Sanahin, Haghpat, and Harich. It shows two men in monks' attire who point with their hands at a church model and a picture of a dove with half-spread wings placed between them. The umbrella roofing of the model's dome shows the original look of the dome of Astvatsatsin church. The figures are shown wearing different dresses — the one standing right is dressed more richly than the one standing left. The faces, with their long whiskers, luxuriant combed beards and large almond shaped eyes, are also executed in different manners. These are probably the founders of the church, the Father Superior and his assistant.
St. Astvatsatsin Church Gavit
The gavit of St. Astvatsatsin Church is severely damaged. The ruins show clearly where it stood; however, the walls are almost completely destroyed.
St. Gregory Church
The oldest large structure of the complex, the St. Grigor Church, is accessible through its gavit.
St. Gregory Church Gavit
The twelfth-century gavit abutting St. Grigor Church is of the most common type of plan. It is a square building, with roofing supported by four internal abutments, and with squat octahedral tents above the central sections, somewhat similar to the Armenian peasant home of the "glkhatun" type. The gavit has ornamented corner sections. Decorated with rosettes, these sections contain sculptures of human figures in monks' attires, carrying crosses, staffs, and birds. The framing of the central window of Haghardzin's gavit is cross-shaped. Placed right above the portal of the main entrance, it emphasizes the central part of the facade.
One of the half-columns along the right hand wall towards the back has come forward, showing that it is hollow. According to legend, this was swung open and shut in the past and monastery riches were hidden inside at times of war and invasion.
St. Stepanos Church
The small St. Stepanos Church dates back to 1244.
Bagratuni sepulchre
The Bagratuni sepulchre is where some of the Bagratuni royalty are buried.
Like the Haghpat's refectory, the refectory of Haghardzin, built by the architect Minas in 1248, is divided by pillars into two square-plan parts roofed with intersecting arches.
The walls are lined with stone benches, and at the western butt wall, next to the door, there is a broad archway for the numerous pilgrims to navigate. Decoration is concentrated only in the central sections of the roofing, near the main lighting apertures. The transition from the rectangle of their base to the octagon of the top is decorated with tre- and quatrefoils. The low abutments determine the size of the upstretched arches. The proportionally diminishing architectural shapes create the impression of airiness and space.
Today this space has large wooden log tables and chairs, and is where receptions take place after marriages or baptisms at the monastery.
An ornamental carving of a thirteenth-century khachkar is placed next to the southern door of St. Astvatsatsin church in Haghardzin.
VALPARD FILMS http://valpardfilms.awardspace.com/
Auteur : valpard
Tags: culture Armenie Armenia Armenien 아르메니아 أرميني アルメニア Haghartsine Haghartsin Astvatsatsin
| | The Discovery of Handaberd Monastery (in Armenian) 1 of 3 - 486 sec
This short video offers viewers a glimpse into a forgotten chapter of medieval Armenian history: the discovery of a monastery on a mountain above the town of Knaravan, in the Karvajar (Kelbajar) region of Artsakh, a forested wilderness between the Republic of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. It is a wild, almost uninhabited mountainous area formally a part of Azerbaijan, but occupied by Armenian forces since the Karabakh war. The monastery is directly opposite the famous Handaberd fortress, perched dramatically on a neighboring mountaintop where it overlooks this Eden-like landscape.
Assembled from interviews filmed at the site over a period of a year during the making of a film about Knaravan, the video follows Dr. Hamlet Petrosyan, a native of Artsakh and one of Armenia's leading archaeologists, as he guides us through the newly recovered ruins of the monastery. Along the way he discovers a hidden inscription and illuminates some of the sensational khachkars discovered at the site. Dr. Petrosyan, who recently led the rediscovery of Tigranakert in Agdam, is a well-known expert on khachkars and the history of Artsakh. His insights on the significance of Handaberd monastery and the forgotten history of the region are invaluable to any serious student of Armenian culture.
PLEASE NOTE: This video is not a finished film. Rather, it is a rough compilation of unedited footage and interviews put together as an archival record. As such, English subtitles were not added. I hope to do so in the future.
Auteur : zariadris
Tags: documentary armenia artsakh armenian archeology history karabagh karabakh armenians
| | Khatchkars of Noratus (Arménie/Armenia) - 42 sec
Exiting at a somewhat over-engineered cloverleaf intersection leads one toward Lake Sevan and the ancient village of Noratus or Noraduz (3534 v). Turning right at the first street past the bridge leads to the S edge of town and S. Grigor Lusavorich church/Daputs Monastery of the 9-10th c., rebuilt by the 11th c architect Khachatur. Continuing straight into the center of village, the second left leads to the ruined S. Astvatsatsin church, a basilica built by Prince Sahak at the end of the 9th c., probably on earlier foundations. Outside the W door are intriguing carved grave monuments. On the E edge of town is a huge medieval-modern cemetery with an impressive array of early khachkars* as well as evocative modern funerary statuary. Continuing up the bare, windswept hillside beyond, there is a smaller cluster of khachkars around a medieval funeral chapel. Two km E of Noratus on the top of a hill is the Heghi Dar cyclopean fortress with a large tomb and two big inhabited caves. On a promontory N of Noratus is a large, well-maintained forest of antenna masts, ostensibly belonging to Armentel. A couple of km S of Noradus, near the former village of Artsvakar (formerly Ghshlakh, now a suburb of Gavar), are the Early Iron Age cyclopean fortresses of Ghslakh (near the lake), Zhami Dar (just W of Artsvakar) and Mrtbi Dzor (S of Zhami Dar). (armeniapedia)
VALPARD FILMS http://valpardfilms.awardspace.com/
Auteur : valpard
Tags: culture Armenie Armenia Armenien 아르메니아 أرميني アルメニア Noraduz Noratus Noradouze khatchkar cimetiere cemetery
| | Mayr Tachar (Echmiadzin, Arménie/Armenia) - 90 sec
Echmiadzin, also Echmiatsin, Etchmiadzin, Ejmiatsin is the spiritual centre of Armenia and the seat of the Catholicos of All Armenians, the head of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church. It is the most populous city in Armavir province, about 20 km west of Yerevan. The 1989 census counted the population of Echmiadzin as 61,000; it has declined considerably since: 56,388 in the 2001 census, and an estimated 52,757 in 2008.
The town originated as Vardkesavan or Vardgesavan in the 4th or 3rd century BC. King Vagharsh (117-140) had the name changed to Vagharshapat which still persists as the official appellation of the town. Several decades later the town became the capital of Armenia and remained the country's most important city until the 4th century AD. Over the centuries the city has borne several other names, including: Avan Vardgesi, Artemed, Iejmiatsin, Kaynepolis, Kayrak'aghak', Norak'aghak', Uch'k'ilisa, Üçkilise, and Valeroktista.
Historically, the focal point of the town is the Echmiadzin Cathedral, the oldest in the world. It was originally built by Saint Gregory the Illuminator as a vaulted basilica in 301-303, when Armenia was the only country in the world the state religion of which was Christianity. According to the 5th-century Armenian annals, St. Gregory had a vision of Christ descending from heaven and striking the earth with a golden hammer to show where the cathedral should be built. Hence, the patriarch gave the church and the town the new name of Echmiadzin, which may be translated as "the place where the Only Begotten descended".
In 480, Vahan Mamikonian, the Roman governor of Armenia, ordered the dilapidated basilica to be replaced with a new cruciform church. In 618, the wooden dome was replaced with a stone one, resting on four massive pillars linked to exterior walls by arcades. This was the church much as it is today. Murals in the interior and extravagant rotundas surmounting the apses appeared in the early 18th century. A three-tier belfry was constructed half a century earlier. The cathedral formerly boasted the largest collection of Armenian medieval manuscripts, but these were lately handed over to the Matenadaran.
Immediately west of the cathedral is the Gate of St. Tiridates, leading to the imposing patriarchal palace. To the northeast, with buildings both within and outside the enclosure, is the Spiritual Academy. Several Khachkars are north of the cathedral.
Apart from the cathedral, the town contains two highly important and very ancient churches. The church of St Gayane, distinguished by its harmonious proportions, was constructed in 630 and underwent enlargement in the 17th century, when the dome was rebuilt and a porch was added. The church of St. Hripsime was built in 618 and survives basically unchanged. Those two churches, the cathedral and the nearby archaeological site of Zvartnots, are listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. (wikipedia)
VALPARD FILMS http://valpardfilms.awardspace.com/
Auteur : valpard
Tags: culture Armenie Armenia Armenien 아르메니아 أرميني アルメニア Mayr Tachar Echmiadzin Echmiatsin Etchmiadzin Ejmiatsin
| | Ս. Կարապետյանը Ջավախքի մասին | S. Karapetyan on Javakhk - 232 sec
Սամվել Կարապետյանը խոսում է Ջավախքի խաչքարերի, եւ Ջավախքում Հայ Եկեղեցու դերի մասին։
Samvel Karapetyan talks about khachkars in Javakhk and about the role of Armenian Church in Javakhk.
Самвел Карапетян рассказывает о хачкарах в Джавахке, и о роли Арменской Церкви в Джвахке.
Auteur : Javakhk
Tags: Javakhk Ջավախք Джавахк Samvel Karapetyan khachkars Armenian Church Akhalkalak Tsalka Bogdanovka
| | Sanahin monastery (Arménie/Armenia) - 97 sec
Sanahin is a village in the Northern Lorri province of Armenia, now considered part of the city of Alaverdi (the cable car that connects it with the Alaverdi centre is supposed to have the steepest climb in the whole former USSR). The village is notable for its monastery complex, founded in the 10th century and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with monasteries in Haghpat.
The name Sanahin literally translates from Armenian as "this one is older than that one", presumably representing a claim to having an older monastery than the neighbouring Haghpat. The two villages and their monasteries are similar in many ways, and lie in plain view of each other on a dissected plateau formation, separated by a deep "crack" formed by a small river flowing into the Debed river.
As with Haghpat, Sanahin is frequented by an increasing number of tourists, due to its recent inclusion on the itineraries of numerous Armenian tour agencies, the beauty of its monastery complex matching that of Haghpat's. The complex belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church with numerous khachkars (stones with elaborate engravings representing a cross) and bishop gravesites scattered throughout it.
Sanahin was also the birthplace of the two well-known Mikoyan brothers. Artem Mikoyan was a well known airplane constructor, and one of the "fathers" of MiG. Anastas Mikoyan was the politician with the longest career of any member of the Soviet politburo. He was involved in negotiating the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, was a member of the Soviet delegation trying to improve relations with Tito's Yugoslavia, and played a major role in the Cuban Missile Crisis negotiations. A fraction of visitors to the monastery also stop at the small nearby museum in the former school, run by Mikoyans' relatives.
Sanahin est un village situé au nord de l'Arménie, dans la région de Lorri, et plus précisément dans le district de Toumanian.
On y trouve un monastère datant du Xe au XIIIe siècles. L'église principale qui est dédiée au Saint-Sauveur, a été construite sur l'initiative de la reine Khosrovanouch, femme du roi Achot III d'Arménie, entre les années 967 et 970. L'église comprend quatre chapelles latérales. Le narthex (gavit en arménien) adjacent à l'église a été édifié deux siècles plus tard, en 1181. Le monastère, jusqu'au XIIIe siècle, appartenait à la famille des Kiurikian.
Le monastère (avec celui de Haghpat) est inscrit depuis 1996 sur la liste du patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO sous le numéro 7771, car « ce bien est d'une valeur universelle exceptionnelle et constitue un exemple remarquable de l'architecture religieuse qui s'est développée en Arménie du Xe au XIIIe siècles ».
La ville abrite aussi le mémorial dédié au concepteur d'avions Artem Mikoyan.
VALPARD FILMS http://valpardfilms.awardspace.com/
Auteur : valpard
Tags: culture Armenie Armenia Armenien 아르메니아 أرميني アルメニア sanahin alaverdi
| | The Discovery of Handaberd Monastery (in Armenian) 3 of 3 - 251 sec
This short video offers viewers a glimpse into a forgotten chapter of medieval Armenian history: the discovery of a monastery on a mountain above the town of Knaravan, in the Karvajar (Kelbajar) region of Artsakh, a forested wilderness between the Republic of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. It is a wild, almost uninhabited mountainous area formally a part of Azerbaijan, but occupied by Armenian forces since the Karabakh war. The monastery is directly opposite the famous Handaberd fortress, perched dramatically on a neighboring mountaintop where it overlooks this Eden-like landscape.
Assembled from interviews filmed at the site over a period of a year during the making of a film about Knaravan, the video follows Dr. Hamlet Petrosyan, a native of Artsakh and one of Armenia's leading archaeologists, as he guides us through the newly recovered ruins of the monastery. Along the way he discovers a hidden inscription and illuminates some of the sensational khachkars discovered at the site. Dr. Petrosyan, who recently led the rediscovery of Tigranakert in Agdam, is a well-known expert on khachkars and the history of Artsakh. His insights on the significance of Handaberd monastery and the forgotten history of the region are invaluable to any serious student of Armenian culture.
PLEASE NOTE: This video is not a finished film. Rather, it is a rough compilation of unedited footage and interviews put together as an archival record. As such, English subtitles were not added. I hope to do so in the future.
Auteur : zariadris
Tags: documentary armenia artsakh armenian archeology history karabagh karabakh armenians
| | St. Hripsime (Echmiadzin, Arménie/Armenia) - 49 sec
Echmiadzin, also Echmiatsin, Etchmiadzin, Ejmiatsin is the spiritual centre of Armenia and the seat of the Catholicos of All Armenians, the head of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church. It is the most populous city in Armavir province, about 20 km west of Yerevan. The 1989 census counted the population of Echmiadzin as 61,000; it has declined considerably since: 56,388 in the 2001 census, and an estimated 52,757 in 2008.
The town originated as Vardkesavan or Vardgesavan in the 4th or 3rd century BC. King Vagharsh (117-140) had the name changed to Vagharshapat which still persists as the official appellation of the town. Several decades later the town became the capital of Armenia and remained the country's most important city until the 4th century AD. Over the centuries the city has borne several other names, including: Avan Vardgesi, Artemed, Iejmiatsin, Kaynepolis, Kayrak'aghak', Norak'aghak', Uch'k'ilisa, Üçkilise, and Valeroktista.
Historically, the focal point of the town is the Echmiadzin Cathedral, the oldest in the world. It was originally built by Saint Gregory the Illuminator as a vaulted basilica in 301-303, when Armenia was the only country in the world the state religion of which was Christianity. According to the 5th-century Armenian annals, St. Gregory had a vision of Christ descending from heaven and striking the earth with a golden hammer to show where the cathedral should be built. Hence, the patriarch gave the church and the town the new name of Echmiadzin, which may be translated as "the place where the Only Begotten descended".
In 480, Vahan Mamikonian, the Roman governor of Armenia, ordered the dilapidated basilica to be replaced with a new cruciform church. In 618, the wooden dome was replaced with a stone one, resting on four massive pillars linked to exterior walls by arcades. This was the church much as it is today. Murals in the interior and extravagant rotundas surmounting the apses appeared in the early 18th century. A three-tier belfry was constructed half a century earlier. The cathedral formerly boasted the largest collection of Armenian medieval manuscripts, but these were lately handed over to the Matenadaran.
Immediately west of the cathedral is the Gate of St. Tiridates, leading to the imposing patriarchal palace. To the northeast, with buildings both within and outside the enclosure, is the Spiritual Academy. Several Khachkars are north of the cathedral.
Apart from the cathedral, the town contains two highly important and very ancient churches. The church of St Gayane, distinguished by its harmonious proportions, was constructed in 630 and underwent enlargement in the 17th century, when the dome was rebuilt and a porch was added. The church of St. Hripsime was built in 618 and survives basically unchanged. Those two churches, the cathedral and the nearby archaeological site of Zvartnots, are listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. (wikipedia)
VALPARD FILMS http://valpardfilms.awardspace.com/
Auteur : valpard
Tags: Armenie Armenia Armenien 아르메니아 أرميني アルメニア Hripsime Echmiadzin Echmiatsin Etchmiadzin Ejmiatsin
| | The Discovery of Handaberd Monastery (in Armenian) 2 of 3 - 429 sec
This short video offers viewers a glimpse into a forgotten chapter of medieval Armenian history: the discovery of a monastery on a mountain above the town of Knaravan, in the Karvajar (Kelbajar) region of Artsakh, a forested wilderness between the Republic of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. It is a wild, almost uninhabited mountainous area formally a part of Azerbaijan, but occupied by Armenian forces since the Karabakh war. The monastery is directly opposite the famous Handaberd fortress, perched dramatically on a neighboring mountaintop where it overlooks this Eden-like landscape.
Assembled from interviews filmed at the site over a period of a year during the making of a film about Knaravan, the video follows Dr. Hamlet Petrosyan, a native of Artsakh and one of Armenia's leading archaeologists, as he guides us through the newly recovered ruins of the monastery. Along the way he discovers a hidden inscription and illuminates some of the sensational khachkars discovered at the site. Dr. Petrosyan, who recently led the rediscovery of Tigranakert in Agdam, is a well-known expert on khachkars and the history of Artsakh. His insights on the significance of Handaberd monastery and the forgotten history of the region are invaluable to any serious student of Armenian culture.
PLEASE NOTE: This video is not a finished film. Rather, it is a rough compilation of unedited footage and interviews put together as an archival record. As such, English subtitles were not added. I hope to do so in the future.
Auteur : zariadris
Tags: documentary armenia artsakh armenian archeology history karabagh karabakh armenians
| | The monastery of Geghard (Arménie/Armenia) - 115 sec
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geghard
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geghard
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geghard-Kloster
The monastery of Geghard is a unique architectural construction in the Kotayk province of Armenia, being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by cliffs. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
While the main chapel was built in 1215, the monastery complex was founded in the 4th century by Gregory the Illuminator at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave. The monastery had thus been originally named Ayrivank, meaning "the Monastery of the Cave". The name commonly used for the monastery today, Geghard, or more fully Geghardavank , meaning "the Monastery of the Spear", originates from the spear which had wounded Jesus at the Crucifixion, allegedly brought to Armenia by Apostle Jude, called here Thaddeus, and stored amongst many other relics. Now it is displayed in the Echmiadzin treasury.
The spectacular towering cliffs surrounding the monastery are part of the Azat river gorge, and are included together with the monastery in the World Heritage Site listing. Some of the churches within the monastery complex are entirely dug out of the cliff rocks, others are little more than caves, while others are elaborate structures, with both architecturally complex walled sections and rooms deep inside the cliff. The combination, together with numerous engraved and free-standing khachkars is a unique sight, being one of the most frequented tourist destinations in Armenia.
Most visitors to Geghard also choose to visit the nearby Garni temple, a Parthenon-like structure located further down the Azat river. Visiting both sites in one trip is so common that they are often referred to in unison as Garni-Geghard.
Le monastère Sainte-Lance de Geghard, situé en Arménie, dans la région de Kotayk', près d'Erevan, a été fondé au XIIIe siècle. La particularité du monastère est de présenter une partie souterraine dans laquelle les prêtres s'exercent pour leur liturgie. Une chapelle inférieure porte les armes de la famille Prochian, deux lions affrontés surmontés d'un autre lion attaquant un bœuf et soulignés de l'aigle enlevant dans ses serres un agneau.
Geghard était appelé « monastère des sept églises » ou « monastère des 40 autels », probablement au Haut Moyen Âge. Il fut appelé, un peu plus tard, Geghardavank, « monastère de la lance ».
On ne connaît pas la date exacte de la fondation du monastère, mais on l'estime à peu près du VIIe au VIIIe siècle. Certaines personnes affirment qu'il aurait été fondé au temps des premiers chrétiens. Il va devenir par le suite un grand centre du christianisme en Arménie.
Pendant l'invasion arabe, il a servi de refuge à la population. Puis il est pillé par les Arabes et détruit, il ne restera que quelques bâtiments. Le monastère actuel a été fondé au XIIIe siècle siècle, par les familles des Prochian, dont l'église principale, construite en 1215, et les chapelles, construites en 1225.
Le monastère est actuellement classé depuis l'an 2000 au patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO1.
La partie la plus ancienne a été détruite, mais il reste un bâtiment bien conservé : la chapelle Saint-Grégoire. L'église principale est Kathoghike, construite en 1215, sous le règne de Zakarian. Elle est composée d'un Gavit, dont la date de construction est inconnue, puis d'une Jamatoun, que l'on pourrait définirai comme une « petite-nef », ornée de sculptures.
Il reste des khatchkars autour du monastère.
(wikipedia)
VALPARD FILMS http://valpardfilms.awardspace.com/
Auteur : valpard
Tags: culture Armenie Armenia Armenien 아르메니아 أرميني アルメニア Geghard kotayk khachkars
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