Tsaghats Kar Monastery () is an Armenian monastery located along the mountain

foothills Foothills or piedmont are geography, geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an highland, upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low terrain, relief hill ...

overlooking the Yeghegis River, between the villages of Yeghegis (6 km northeast) and Horbategh in the

Vayots Dzor Province Vayots Dzor (, ) is a province (''marz'') of Armenia. It lies at the southeastern end of the country, bordering the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan to the west and the Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan to the east. It covers an area of . With a ...

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 monastery is located within walking distance of the fortress of

Smbataberd Smbataberd ( ) is a medieval fortress located upon the crest of a hill between the villages of Artabuynk and Yeghegis in the Vayots Dzor Province of Armenia. It may have existed as early as the 5th century or earlier, although other sources da ...

. The church was built in the 10th century during the Bagratid kingdom. There is historical information about the construction of the church in the work of the historian Asoghik. Tsaghats kar was a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

educational institution, they studied painting there, and there is a hypothesis that the choice of the name has something to do with the name of the flowered stone (Armenian Ծաղկած Քար or Ցաղաց Քար). There are two groups of structures at the site that are separated by a distance of 200 meters (656 feet). The grouping to the west, now half-ruined, was constructed of rough-hewn

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

. Within the complex of Tsaghats Kar is Surb Hovhannes church built in 989, Surb Karapet church of the 10th century, and many other structures that are in ruins. Saint Karapet is a cupola hall type structure, with a

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

in each of the four corners. Numerous

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 ...

may be seen around the monastery as well. There is a pipe-spring on the right a little after passing the river.

Gallery

Image:Tsakhats kar-raffi kojian-DCP 1532.JPG, Another view of the complex prior to reconstruction. Image:Ցաղաց Քարի վանական համալիրը 05.JPG Image:Ցաղաց Քարի վանական համալիրը 11.JPG, Monastery of tsakhats kar

Image:Ցաղաց Քար 03.jpg

References

Bibliography

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External links

Armcamping.com: Tsaghats Kar Monastery (Article written in Armenian)

Armeniapedia.org: Tsaghats Kar Monastery
Armenian Apostolic monasteries in Armenia Tourist attractions in Vayots Dzor Province Buildings and structures in Vayots Dzor Province {{ArmenianApostolic-church-stub