Alapars () is a village in the

Kotayk Province Kotayk (, ), is a provinces of Armenia, province (''Administrative divisions of Armenia, marz'') of Armenia. It is located at the central part of the country. Its capital is Hrazdan and the largest city is Abovyan. It is named after the Kotayk c ...

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

. The village has 860 dwellings, a school, house of culture, and library. The population is entirely Armenian.

Toponymy

The village was previously known as ''Aylaberk'' and ''Aylaber''.

History

Alapars was founded in 470, but was resettled in 1828-30 by immigrants from

Khoy Khoy (, ) is a city in the Central District (Khoy County), Central District of Khoy County, West Azerbaijan province, West Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Occupied since Medes, Median times, ...

and Maku. Its center is dominated by the churches of Saint Vartan (''Vartanavank'') built in 901 (rebuilt 19th century) by a Prince Grigor, and the Holy Mother of God (''Surb Astvatsatsin'') of 1897. Also in the vicinity is the monastery of S. Tsiranavor. According to local folklore, Vartanavank contains a drop of blood from the Armenian national hero

Vartan Mamikonian Vardan Mamikonian (; – 451) was an Armenians, Armenian military leader who led a rebellion against Sasanian Empire, Sasanian Iran in 450–451. He was the head of the Mamikonian noble family and holder of the hereditary title of , the suprem ...

Gallery

Alapars Vardanavank 901.JPG, The church of Vardanavank built in 901, reconstructed in the 19th century Alapars S. Astvatsatsin 1897.JPG, St. Astvatsatsin Church (Holy Mother of God Church), 1897 Vardanavank Khachkar.JPG, Large

khachkar A ''khachkar'' (also spelled as ''khatchkar'') or Armenian cross-stone (, , խաչ ''xačʿ'' "cross" + քար ''kʿar'' "stone") is a carved, memorial stele bearing a cross, and often with additional motifs such as rosette (design), rosettes ...

adjacent to Vartanavank Tukh Manuk, Alapars.jpg, Sculpture in Tukh Manuk, Alapars by Avetik Avetyan, words by

Avetik Isahakyan Avetik Sahaki Isahakyan (; October 30, 1875 – October 17, 1957) was an Armenian lyric poet, writer and public activist. Biography Isahakyan was born in Alexandropol (present-day Gyumri, Armenia) in 1875. He was educated at the Gevorgian S ...

Notable people

* Avetik Avetyan,

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

multiple medalist and director of the pump station of Alapars * Mushegh Aliabertsi, Patriarch (490-561) * Tatik Saryan, artist * Melik Kocharyan, dramatist * Shavigh Grigoryan, folk collector * Kavalenko Shahgaldyan, Governor of the Kotayk Province

References

External links

* * * Populated places in Kotayk Province {{Kotayk-geo-stub