Eghegnamor monastery is a well-preserved medieval Armenian monastery in the middle of Çengilli village (formerly Eghegnamor) village near Kağızman city of modern

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Its great bulk and solidity still dominating the small, crudely built, flat-roofed, houses of the village. .

Word formation

Eghegnamor () is a historical name of the settlement laying around the monastery. Eghegnamor in Armenian for reedy place. Çengilli is the current name of the village. It is derived from its 19th-century name, Chanli, which means "village of the bell-tower". The church is also known as Eghegnamor in Armenian literature. In another sources this monastery called as

History

Eghegnamor (Çengelli) lay in a district of Armenia known as Gabeghyank', which included the town of Kaghzvan (modern Kağızman), and was a part of a larger Armenian province known as

Ayrarat Ayrarat () was the central province of the ancient kingdom of Armenia, located in the plain of the upper Aras River. Most of the historical capitals of Armenia were located in this province, including Armavir, Yervandashat, Artashat, Vagharsha ...

. This district was initially a

Mamikonian Mamikonian or Mamikonean () was an Armenian aristocratic dynasty which dominated Armenia between the 4th and 8th centuries—through the late antique kingdom, Sasanian, Byzantine, and Arab dominations. They were the most notable noble house in ...

possession, but in the 9th century it became part of the territory of the Bagratids of Ani. When Kars split away from Ani, Gabeghyank' became part of the Kingdom of Kars. By the end of the 19th century the majority of the village's population still was Armenian. They were adherents to the Armenian Church and called the church St. Astvacacin () (Holy Mother of God). This Armenian population was deported to Armenia in 1920 when this district became part of Turkey after the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The locals use the church as a communal barn.

References

{{Armenian churches and monasteries Former churches in Turkey Armenian churches in Turkey Christian monasteries established in the 11th century