Mashtots Hayrapet Church of Garni
Encyclopedia
Mashtots Hayrapet is a church located within the village of Garni
in the Kotayk Province of Armenia
. It was built in the 12th century at the site of what was a pagan shrine
. A stone carved from red tufa
is situated at the right of the entrance upon a low rock wall. It has on it the design of a bird perched on a floral stem with the rosette of eternity under its tail. The rosette is also a distinctive pagan symbol representing the sun or the moon, symbolizing the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth. It is said that because of this pagan symbology, this stone has a connection to the prior shrine.
The church has a small cruciform
type central-plan with a single drum
and dome
. It is constructed from dark grey stone, with red tufa inlaid around the windows, roof, and dome. Elaborate decorations of geometric and foliage patterns may be seen all around the windows, portal, dome, and other parts of the façade. The apron around the apse
in the interior of the church also is intricately carved. A number of khachkar
s are scattered around the church grounds, including one in particular adjacent to the building that is reminiscent of a small shrine.
In the village is also the fortress complex of Garni with the 1st century AD Garni Temple
, Surb Astvatsatsin Church, a ruined 4th century single-aisle church, a ruined Tukh Manuk Shrine, Saint Sargis Shrine, and a Queen Katranide Shrine. Across the Garni Gorge
is the Havuts Tar
Monastery and Aghjots Vank
located in the Khosrov Reserve.
Garni
Garni is a village in the Kotayk Province of Armenia, situated approximately 28 km southeast from Yerevan.- History :...
in the Kotayk Province of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. It was built in the 12th century at the site of what was a pagan shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
. A stone carved from red tufa
Tufa
Tufa is a variety of limestone, formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from ambient temperature water bodies. Geothermally heated hot-springs sometimes produce similar carbonate deposits known as travertine...
is situated at the right of the entrance upon a low rock wall. It has on it the design of a bird perched on a floral stem with the rosette of eternity under its tail. The rosette is also a distinctive pagan symbol representing the sun or the moon, symbolizing the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth. It is said that because of this pagan symbology, this stone has a connection to the prior shrine.
The church has a small cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
type central-plan with a single drum
Tholobate
A tholobate or drum, in architecture, is the upright part of a building on which a dome is raised. It is generally in the shape of a cylinder or a polygonal prism....
and dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
. It is constructed from dark grey stone, with red tufa inlaid around the windows, roof, and dome. Elaborate decorations of geometric and foliage patterns may be seen all around the windows, portal, dome, and other parts of the façade. The apron around the apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
in the interior of the church also is intricately carved. A number of khachkar
Khachkar
A khachkar or khatchkar is a carved, cross-bearing, memorial stele covered with rosettes and other botanical motifs. Khachkars are characteristic of Medieval Christian Armenian art found in Armenia.-Description:...
s are scattered around the church grounds, including one in particular adjacent to the building that is reminiscent of a small shrine.
In the village is also the fortress complex of Garni with the 1st century AD Garni Temple
Garni Temple
Garni is a temple complex located in the Kotayk Province of Armenia, situated approximately 32 km southeast from Yerevan.The first traces of human occupation date back to the 3rd millennium BC and are concentrated in an easily defensible terrain at one of the bends of the Azat river. In the 8th...
, Surb Astvatsatsin Church, a ruined 4th century single-aisle church, a ruined Tukh Manuk Shrine, Saint Sargis Shrine, and a Queen Katranide Shrine. Across the Garni Gorge
Garni Gorge
The Garni Gorge is situated 23 km east of Yerevan, Armenia, just below the village with the same name. On a promontory above the gorge, the 1st century AD Garni temple may be seen. Along the sides of the gorge are cliff walls of well preserved basalt columns, carved out by the Goght River. This...
is the Havuts Tar
Havuts Tar
Havuts Tar is a 11-13th century walled monastery in the Azat River Valley across from the villages of Goght and Garni in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. It can be reached easily from the Khosrov Reserve which it is situated within, located across the Garni Gorge. A trail leads directly from the...
Monastery and Aghjots Vank
Aghjots Vank
Aghjots Vank is a 13th century monastery situated along a tributary of the Azat River Valley in the Khosrov Reserve located near the villages of Goght and Garni in the Ararat Province of Armenia...
located in the Khosrov Reserve.