Makravank () is an Armenian church-complex located in the Makravan district of

Hrazdan Hrazdan ( ) is a town and urban municipal community in Armenia serving as the administrative centre of Kotayk Province, located northeast of the capital Yerevan. As of the 2011 census, the population of the town is 44,231. During the Soviet Uni ...

, the capital of

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 ...

. Hasratyan, Murad. ''Մաքրավանք'' (Mak'ravank').

Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia (also rendered ''Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia''; , ''Haykakan sovetakan hanragitaran''; ASE) is the first general encyclopedia in the Armenian language. It was published in 1974-1987 by the main editorial office of th ...

. vol. vii. Yerevan:

Armenian Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA) (, ''Hayastani Hanrapetut’yan gitut’yunneri azgayin akademia'') is the Armenian national academy, functioning as the primary body that conducts research and coordinates acti ...

, 1981, pp. 370-371. The monastic complex includes a half-ruined 11th-century

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

. The 13th-century church dedicated to Surb Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God) has a circular tambour and a conical cupola. The complex also includes the lower walls of the

gavit A ''gavit'' (; gawit’) or ''zhamatun'' (Armenian: ) is a congressional room or mausoleum added to the entrance of a church, and therefore often contiguous to its west side, in a Medieval Armenian monastery. It served as narthex (entrance to the ...

and a medieval cemetery.

Architecture

The Church of S. Astvatsatsin has a single central

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

which supports a conical

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

above. Narrow windows with bell style arches are positioned at each of the four

cardinal direction The four cardinal directions or cardinal points are the four main compass directions: north (N), south (S), east (E), and west (W). The corresponding azimuths ( clockwise horizontal angle from north) are 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°. The ...

s. The arch of the window at the south end is flanked by

Bolnisi Bolnisi ( ka, ბოლნისი) is a city in the country of Georgia (country), Georgia, located in the Kvemo Kartli region and capital of the Bolnisi district. It currently has an estimated 8,348 (January 1, 2024) inhabitants. History Boln ...

style crosses at either side, while another example of this style of cross may be seen above the small window at the rear of the 11th-century chapel adjacent to S. Astvatsatsin. It is slightly different though, in that the cross stands on a stepped

plinth A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...

. A single portal leads into the church, while a separate entry is utilized for the chapel. A semi-circular tympanum above the entry to S. Astvatsatsin contains a single-line inscription in

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

and four Armenian-style crosses in

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

. Its

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

is constructed of wood and is painted several different

hue In color theory, hue is one of the properties (called color appearance parameters) of a color, defined in the CIECAM02 model as "the degree to which a stimulus can be described as similar to or different from stimuli that are described as ...

s (reds, greens, blues, etc.). The adjacent (south) 10th/11th-century Holy Redeemer chapel is a simple building with a

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

roof. It has two small, narrow windows; one at the front, and one at the rear. A smaller semi-circular tympanum rests above the door to the chapel, while two large

khachkars 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 rosettes, interlaces, and ...

sit in front. To the west of S. Astvatsatsin and near the chapel, are the lower walls of the church's gavit that now serve as a wall for a

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary a ...

. The monastery's medieval cemetery sits to the east and also has several interesting khachkars and tombstones.

Gallery

Image:Makravank Monastery 1.JPG, S. Astvatsatsin Church, south façade Image:Makravank Monastery Dome.JPG, S. Astvatsatsin Church dome Image:Makravank Cross Tympanum.JPG, Tympanum above the entry to S. Astvatsatsin Image:Makravank Chapel.JPG, 11th-century chapel adjacent to S. Astvatsatsin Church, west façade Image:Makravank Large Khachkar.JPG, Large khachkar adjacent to the entry to S. Astvatsatsin Church Image:Makravank Cemetery Khachkars 2.JPG, Cemetery with several khachkars Image:Makravank Cemetery Khachkars 1.JPG, Cemetery with several khachkars Image:Makravank Tombstone.JPG, Tombstone depicting musicians

References

External links

Armeniapedia.org: Makravank Monastery
* {{Armenian Churches Armenian Apostolic monasteries in Armenia Tourist attractions in Kotayk Province Christian monasteries established in the 10th century Oriental Orthodox congregations established in the 10th century Buildings and structures in Kotayk Province