Vache I Vachutian also Vace Vacutian, also known as Amberdtsi Vachutyan (Վաչե Ա. Ամբերդեցի, ruled 1206–1230), was an

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 ...

prince, and a Court official of the Kingdom of Georgia holding the offices of '' Msakhurtukhutsesi'' (Majordomo), founder of the Vachutian dynasty, themselves vassals to the Zakarid dynasty of

Zakarid Armenia Zakarid Armenia () alternatively known as the Zakarid Period, describes a historical period in the Middle Ages during which the Armenian vassals of the Kingdom of Georgia were ruled by the Zakarid-Mkhargrzeli dynasty. The city of Ani was the cap ...

. He was married to Mamakhatun, daughter of Abuserh. Vache I Vachutian is known for the foundation of various monastic buildings in historical

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 ...

. He built the churches of the

Saghmosavank Monastery The Saghmosavank (, Literal translation, lit. "monastery of the Psalms") is a 13th century, 13th-century Armenian architecture, Armenian monastic complex located in the village of Saghmosavan in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. Like the Hovhann ...

(1215) and

Hovhannavank Monastery Hovhannavank, also Yovhannavank‘ () is a medieval monastery located in the village of Ohanavan in the Aragatsotn, Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. The monastery stands on the edge of the Kasagh River canyon, and its territory is adjacent to th ...

(1216–1221), while his son Kurt built the ''

zhamatun 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 ...

s'' attached to them, in 1250 for Hovhannavank and 1255 for Saghmosavank. Vache Vachutian also built the church of Tegher Monastery (1213), and the vestibule (''

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 ...

'') of St. Astvatsatsin Church in

Sanahin Monastery Sanahin Monastery () is an Armenian monastery founded in the 10th century in Sanahin in the Lori Province of Armenia. The name Sanahin literally translates from Armenian as 'this one is older than that one', presumably representing a claim to bei ...

(1211), which is evidenced by the inscription preserved on the south wall inside the vestibule. He is also known for building a mausoleum at

Horomos Monastery Horomos (), also known as Horomosivank, Ghoshavank, Hochavank or Khosha Vank, is an abandoned and ruined medieval Armenian monastic complex about 15 kilometers northeast of the ruins of Ani—the capital of Bagratid Armenia—) in present-day e ...

in 1229. The mausoleum is a square space of about 8x8 meters, lined with blind arcades supporting a huge "stone tent" structure of the type of the stalactite vaults. The "stone tent" would have reached a height of about 6 meters, giving a total of 9 meters for the mausoleum. Photographs from the 19th century show the wall and the beginning of the stone tent structure. This type of "stalactite tent" is also seen in other monuments, such as the ''

'' of the

Church of the Holy Apostles The Church of the Holy Apostles (, ''Agioi Apostoloi''; ), also known as the Imperial Polyandrion (imperial cemetery), was a Byzantine Eastern Orthodox church in Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. The first structure dated to ...

at Ani. A dedicatory inscription appears on the tympanum:

References

{{reflist Nobility of Georgia (country) 13th-century people from Georgia (country)