Historical Monuments of Armenia

 

Armenia is a museum in the open air. This sentence was uttered by Rockwell Kent, when he visited Armenia in the 1960s. We can’t find any ancient houses, palaces or other old dwelling   constructions in our country. The only preserved historical monuments in Armenia are churches and monasteries and that is logically true. Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as state religion, and the first state built church in the world is considered to be the Mother Cathedral in Echmiatsin which was built in 303AD. It was founded by the first Armenian Catholicos St Gregory. In fact it is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. The Mother Cathedral in Echmiatsin is the holy centre of the Armenian Apostolic Church and is inscripted into UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000.

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The cathedral has a cruciform plan and is central domed. The interior of the church is covered with frescos created by Hovnatanyan family. The entrance is carved and it is very beautiful.

There are four more churches in Echmiatsin: St Hripsimeh Church which has the biggest dome among all Armenian churches, St Gayaneh Church with a churchyard cemetery, St Shoghakat Church and St Astvatsatsin Church. 1767

The residence of the Catholicos of all Armenians Garegin the 2^nd is not far from the Mother Cathedral.

St Hripsimeh Church was built in 618 AD. It has a cruciform plan and has the simplicity and purity of the Armenian architecture of the high Middle Ages. It is a real masterpiece.

St Gayaneh Church was built in 630AD. Slender and delicate proportions are distinguishing features of this church.

Not far from Echmiatsin we can see the ruins of an ancient temple. These are the ruins of the famous Temple of Zvartnots. The temple was erected in 659 and was destroyed by the earthquake.

Geghard is an incredible ancient Armenian monastery which is partly carved out of a mountain. The monastery was built in the 4^th century but the main cathedral was built in 1215. There are two small chambers here with extraordinarily pure and great acoustics. Here one wants to sing or recite.

Goshavank Monastery in Tavush was built in the 13^th century. Mkhitar Gosh, the author of the first criminal code “Datastanagirq”, took part in building the monastery. It was built in the place of another church Nor Getik, which was destroyed by an earththquake. Mkhitar Gosh founded a school in Goshavank.

Noravank is a 13^th century monastery built in Vayots Dzor near Eghegnadzor. It is on a high hill surrounded by magnificent rocky mountains. The sight is really picturesque.

Historical Monuments of Armenia

Armenia is a museum in the open air. This sentence was uttered by Rockwell Kent, when he visited Armenia in the 1960s. We can’t find any ancient houses, palaces or other old dwelling   constructions in our country. The only preserved historical monuments in Armenia are churches and monasteries and that is logically true. Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as state religion, and the first state built church in the world is considered to be the Mother Cathedral in Echmiatsin which was built in 303AD. It was founded by the first Armenian Catholicos St Gregory. In fact it is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. The Mother Cathedral in Echmiatsin is the holy centre of the Armenian Aposstolic Church and is inscripted into UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000.

l

The cathedral has a cruciform plan and is central domed. The interior of the church is covered with frescos created by Hovnatanyan family. The entrance is carved and it is very beautiful.

There are four more churches in Echmiatsin: St Hripsimeh Church which has the biggest dome among all Armenian churches, St Gayaneh Church with a churchyard cemetery, St Shoghakat Church and St Astvatsatsin Church. 1767

The residence of the Catholicos of all Armenians Garegin the 2^nd is not far from the Mother Cathedral.

St Hripsimeh Church was built in 618 AD. It has a cruciform plan and has the simplicity and purity of the Armenian architecture of the high Middle Ages. It is a real masterpiece.

St Gayaneh Church was built in 630AD. Slender and delicate proportions are distinguishing features of this church.

Not far from Echmiatsin we can see the ruins of an ancient temple. These are the ruins of the famous Temple of Zvartnots. The temple was erected in 659 and was destroyed by the earthquake.

Geghard is an incredible ancient Armenian monastery which is partly carved out of a mountain. The monastery was built in the 4^th century but the main cathedral was built in 1215. There two small chambers here with extraordinarily pure and great acoustics. Here one wants to sing or recite.

Goshavank Monastery in Tavush was built in the 13^th century. Mkhitar Gosh, the author of the first criminal code “Datastanagirq”, took part in building the monastery. It was built in the place of another church Nor Getik, which was destroyed by an earththquake. Mkhitar Gosh founded a school in Goshavank.

Noravank is a 13^th century monastery built in Vayots Dzor near Eghegnadzor. It is on a high hill surrounded by magnificent rocky mountains. The sight is is really picturesque.

Historical Monuments of Armenia

Armenia is a museum in the open air. This sentence was uttered by Rockwell Kent, when he visited Armenia in the 1960s. We can’t find any ancient houses, palaces or other old dwelling   constructions in our country. The only preserved historical monuments in Armenia are churches and monasteries and that is logically true. Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as state religion, and the first state built church in the world is considered to be the Mother Cathedral in Echmiatsin which was built in 303AD. It was founded by the first Armenian Catholicos St Gregory. In fact it is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. The Mother Cathedral in Echmiatsin is the holy centre of the Armenian Aposstolic Church and is inscripted into UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000.

l

The cathedral has a cruciform plan and is central domed. The interior of the church is covered with frescos created by Hovnatanyan family. The entrance is carved and it is very beautiful.

There are four more churches in Echmiatsin: St Hripsimeh Church which has the biggest dome among all Armenian churches, St Gayaneh Church with a churchyard cemetery, St Shoghakat Church and St Astvatsatsin Church. 1767

The residence of the Catholicos of all Armenians Garegin the 2^nd is not far from the Mother Cathedral.

St Hripsimeh Church was built in 618 AD. It has a cruciform plan and has the simplicity and purity of the Armenian architecture of the high Middle Ages. It is a real masterpiece.

St Gayaneh Church was built in 630AD. Slender and delicate proportions are distinguishing features of this church.

Not far from Echmiatsin we can see the ruins of an ancient temple. These are the ruins of the famous Temple of Zvartnots. The temple was erected in 659 and was destroyed by the earthquake.

Geghard is an incredible ancient Armenian monastery which is partly carved out of a mountain. The monastery was built in the 4^th century but the main cathedral was built in 1215. There two small chambers here with extraordinarily pure and great acoustics. Here one wants to sing or recite.

Goshavank Monastery in Tavush was built in the 13^th century. Mkhitar Gosh, the author of the first criminal code “Datastanagirq”, took part in building the monastery. It was built in the place of another church Nor Getik, which was destroyed by an earththquake. Mkhitar Gosh founded a school in Goshavank.

Noravank is a 13^th century monastery bilt in Vayots Dzor near Eghegnadzor. It is on a high hill surrounded by magnificent rocky mountains. The sight is is really picturesque.

MESROP MASH…

MESROP MASHTOTS AND THE HOLY ARMENIAN ALPHABET

Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as state religion in 301AD. But Armenians didn’t have their own alphabet then and most of the population couldn’t understand the word of God in Greek. Armenia was divided into two parts then. The western part was governed by the Byzantine Empire and the eastern part was governed by Persia although it had its formal king Vramshapuh. The danger of assimilation of ethnic Armenians existed in both parts.

Mesrop Mashtots, a monk, theologist and a linguist, decided to go to Vagharshapat and meet Capholicos Sahak Partev. Mesrop Mashtots told Sahak Partev that he was going to create Armenian alphabet. It turned out that the same thoughts were torturing Sahak Partev. They were both encouraged by the very thought of creating Armenian Alphabet. Mesrop and Sahak told King Vramshapuh about their intention and the king appreciated their intention. The king also understood that the creation of Armenian alphabet would save Armenians from assimilation.

Mesrop left for Edessa with some of his young adherents. Edessa was one of the biggest educational and scientific centres of that time. Mesrop knew several foreign languages and he studied the alphabets of different languages by reading various books. He studied their structures, the forms of letters, and the principles of written speech. And only after that did he begin creating the Armenian alphabet. The creation of the Armenian alphabet was completed in 406AD. The main principles of Mesrop’s alphabet are as follows:

1. Each letter corresponds to one sound and each sound corresponds to one letter. The only exception is the letter <<ու>> which consists of two letter signs.
2. Rightward horizontal writing: Most of the languages then had leftward writing but Mesrop chose the rightward system of writing.
3. Absence of different letter designating signs which was typical to many alphabets of that time.

The letters of the Armenian alphabet are not identical to the letters of other alphabets. They are unique. Only its letter order corresponds to the letter order of the Greek alphabet.

The first sentence with the newly created Armenian letters was a translation from Solomon’s book “A Book of Proverbs”: “To know wisdom and schooling; to perceive the words of genius.”

The first book that was translated into Armenian from Greek was the Bible.

Mesrop Mashtots and his adherents performed really enlightening mission in western and eastern Armenia. They preached the word of God in Armenian, taught the new Armenian letters to young Armenians, established the first Armenian schools. Koriun, his pupil, wrote his biography after his death in 440. He died in Vagharshapat and was buried in Oshakan. Armenians built a church on his grave.

Mesrop Mashtots was honoured saint by Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenian Catholic Church and Roman Catholic Church.