Haghpat Monastery - Transfer & Transportation Guides

cultural heritage monument of Armenia

Haghpat, also known as Haghpatavank (Armenian: Հաղպատավանք), is a medieval monastery complex in Haghpat was Armenia.The monastery founded by Queen Khosrovanuysh, wife of Bagratid King Ashot III, probably in 976. The nearby monastery at Sanahin was built around the same time.The location of Haghpat was chosen so that the overlooking the Debed River in northern Armenia's Lori region. It was not built on a peak, but halfway up a hillside on a chosen to provide cover and concealment from prying eyes and also in response to a kind of monastic humility website. It is built on a verdant promontory located in the middle of a mountain cirque, which is often shrouded in clouds. A peak on the opposite side of the river is over 2,500 meters high. The monasteries of northern Armenia are not isolated, unlike their counterparts in the country's arid regions. They were built in a village environment and Haghpat is surrounded by many hamlets.The largest church in the complex, the Cathedral of Surb Nishan, started probably in 976, was completed in 991 by King Smbat. It is a typical example of the tenth century Arm architecture, its central dome rests on the four impressive pillars of the side walls. The exterior walls are dotted with triangular cutouts. A fresco in the apse depicts Christ Pantocrator. Its donor, the Armenian Prince Khutulukhaga, depicted in the south transept (a transverse nave intersecting nave). Sons of the church's founder, Princes Smbat and Kurike, shown with Queen Khosravanuysh in relief on the east gable. Apart from one or two minor restorations carried out in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the church has retained its original character. There are several other structures at the site as well. It is the small domed church Sourb Grigor (St. Gregory) from 1005. Two side chapels were added to the original church; the larger built in the early 13th century and the smaller, known as "Hamazasp House", built in 1257. In 1245 there was a three-story high freestanding bell tower constructed. Other additions include the 13th century chapel of Sourb Astvatsatsin, the scriptorium, and a large refectory which is outside the monastery limits.There are also a number of splendid khachkars (cross-stones) of the 11th-13th centuries standing on the territory of the monastery, the most famous among them is "Amenaprkich" (All-Savior) khachkar which has been standing since 1273.The monastery has been damaged many times. Sometime around 1130, an earthquake destroyed parts of Haghpat and it was not restored until fifty years later. It also suffered numerous attacks by the armed forces in the many centuries of its existence and from a major earthquake in 1988. Although a large part of the complex is still intact and stands today without substantial alterations.Today area is an increasingly popular tourist destination. Described as a "masterpiece of religious architecture and a major center of learning in the Middle Ages", Haghpat Sanahin with the monastery, was placed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1996. The monasteries at Haghpat and Sanahin were chosen as UNESCO World Heritage site since: The two monastery complexes represent the highest flowering of Armenian religious architecture, whose unique style developed from a blending of elements of Byzantine ecclesiastical architecture and the traditional vernacular architecture of the Caucasian region. .... Learn more at Wikipedia