Zoravan (; formerly, Ghargavank and Pokravan; historically and prior to 1972–80, Khacho) is a village situated along the lower slopes of
Mount Ara 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 ...
of
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 was established in 1972–80, during which time it was called Pokravan, for the purpose of developing a large stockyard or
feedlot
A feedlot or feed yard is a type of animal feeding operation (AFO) which is used in intensive animal farming, notably beef cattle, but also swine, horses, sheep, turkeys, chickens or ducks, prior to slaughter. Large beef feedlots are called conc ...
that would ultimately be utilized to breed a target of eleven-thousand animals. After reaching capacity, the village was renamed to Zoravan after the nearby Zoravar Church, also known as
Gharghavank
Gharghavank (also, Zoravor Church, ) is a ruined Armenian Apostolic church located on the outskirts of the village of Zoravan, at the lower slopes of Mount Ara in Kotayk Province, Armenia. To get to the church, turn left immediately after the s ...
, built between 661 and 685 by Prince
Grigor 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 ...
. The community currently has a school and a kindergarten.
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...
for the village comes from a source near
Karenis, while water for
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...
comes from
Lake Sevan
Lake Sevan () is the largest body of water in both Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater Alpine lake, high-altitude (alpine) lakes in Eurasia. The lake is situated in Gegharkunik Province, at an altitude of abov ...
.
Gallery
Image:Ս. Թեոդորոս եկեղեցի26.JPG, Gharghavank in relation to the villages of Zoravan (left) and Yeghvard (right)
Image:Ս. Թեոդորոս եկեղեցի15.JPG, Gharghavank, 7th c.
Image:Gharghavank Funeral Chapel.JPG, Funeral chapel adjacent to the church
See also
*
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 ...
References
*
World Gazeteer: Armenia– World-Gazetteer.com
*
Populated places in Kotayk Province
{{Kotayk-geo-stub