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Ktuts monastery ( hy, Կտուց, meaning ''beak'' in Armenian) is an abandoned 15th century Armenian monastery on the small island of Ktuts (Çarpanak) in
Image:Ktuts monastery from above pg.jpg, Ktuts on Lake Van
Image:Ktuts belltower khatchkar 1986-49.jpg, Armenian cross-stone at the monastery
Ktuts' Anapat
(pictures and information at Rensselaer Digital Collections)
A recent photo
of the island-monastery * Armenian Monastery on Ktuts (Charpanak) Island, Lake Van
photo1photo2photo3photo4photo5photo6photo7photo8photo9photo10photo11
{{Armenian Churches Armenian churches in Turkey Christian monasteries established in the 15th century Destroyed churches Armenian buildings in Turkey
Ktuts monastery ( hy, Կտուց, meaning ''beak'' in Armenian) is an abandoned 15th century Armenian monastery on the small island of Ktuts (Çarpanak) in Lake Van
Lake Van ( tr, Van Gölü; hy, Վանա լիճ, translit=Vana lič̣; ku, Gola Wanê) is the largest lake in Turkey. It lies in the far east of Turkey, in the provinces of Van and Bitlis in the Armenian highlands. It is a saline soda lake, ...
, Vaspurakan
Vaspurakan (, Western Armenian pronunciation: ''Vasbouragan'') was the eighth province of the ancient kingdom of Armenia, which later became an independent kingdom during the Middle Ages, centered on Lake Van. Located in what is now southeaster ...
(present-day Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
). According to tradition, the monastery was founded in the 4th century by Saint Gregory the Illuminator
Gregory the Illuminator ( Classical hy, Գրիգոր Լուսաւորիչ, reformed: Գրիգոր Լուսավորիչ, ''Grigor Lusavorich'';, ''Gregorios Phoster'' or , ''Gregorios Photistes''; la, Gregorius Armeniae Illuminator, cu, Svyas ...
, after his return from Rome. It contained a hand of John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
, which was kept in a reliquary
A reliquary (also referred to as a '' shrine'', by the French term ''châsse'', and historically including '' phylacteries'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a ''fereter'', and a chapel in which it is housed a ''fe ...
now held at the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem
The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem also known as the Armenian Patriarchate of Saint James ( hy, Առաքելական Աթոռ Սրբոց Յակովբեանց Յերուսաղեմ, , ) is located in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem. The ...
.
The first historical records referring to the monastery date to the 15th century, when it was known for its scriptorium
Scriptorium (), literally "a place for writing", is commonly used to refer to a room in medieval European monasteries devoted to the writing, copying and illuminating of manuscripts commonly handled by monastic scribes.
However, lay scribes an ...
. Manuscripts from this time are kept at the Matenadaran
The Matenadaran ( hy, Մատենադարան), officially the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, is a museum, repository of manuscripts, and a research institute in Yerevan, Armenia. It is the world's largest repository of Armenian ...
in Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and ...
, Armenia. The monastery was most likely destroyed in an earthquake in 1648, before being rebuilt in the 18th century with funding from the people of Bagesh. It became one of the two seats of the diocese Lim and Ktuts.
At the time of the Hamidian massacres of 1894–1896, many refugees took shelter at the monastery. However this was not repeated during the Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...
in 1915–1916, as access to the island was prevented by the Ottoman police. Since that time the monastery has been abandoned and only the church and its ''gavit
A ''gavit'' (Armenian ) or ''zhamatun'' (Armenian: ) is often contiguous to the west of a church in a Medieval Armenian monastery. It served as narthex
The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas ...
'' remain.
Gallery
See also
*Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross
The Cathedral of the Holy Cross ( hy, Սուրբ Խաչ եկեղեցի, translit=Surp Khachʿ egeghetsʿi, tr, Akdamar Kilisesi or ) on Aghtamar Island, in Lake Van in eastern Turkey, is a medieval Armenian Apostolic cathedral, built as a palat ...
References
External links
Ktuts' Anapat
(pictures and information at Rensselaer Digital Collections)
A recent photo
of the island-monastery * Armenian Monastery on Ktuts (Charpanak) Island, Lake Van
photo1
{{Armenian Churches Armenian churches in Turkey Christian monasteries established in the 15th century Destroyed churches Armenian buildings in Turkey