Neghuts Monastery ( hy, Նեղուցի վանք) is a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

founded in the 10th or 11th century, situated in a clearing on a hillside overlooking a valley and the village of

Arzakan Arzakan ( hy, Արզական, previously known as Arzakyand), is a village in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. The Aghveran resort is located in Arzakan. There are the large ruins of the 10th- or 11th-century Neghutsi Vank, located along a ravine ...

in the

Kotayk Province Kotayk ( hy, Կոտայք, ), is a province ('' 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 canton of the historic Ayrarat province ...

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

. The monastery is located approximately northwest of the village center. There are other churches in the vicinity, most notably the 13th-century monastic/church ruins of Ghuki Vank, the church ruins of S. Astvatsatsin (1207), and the 13th-century ruins of Surb Gevorg.

Architecture

The monastery consists of the Church of Surb Astvatsatsin (''Holy Mother of God'') with a large adjoining

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 (entrance to the church), mausoleum and assembly room. History The ''gavit'', the distinctive ...

. Just south of and adjacent to the church and gavit, are the remains of a rectangular depression of a building that had once consisted of two rooms. There are the remnants of a large doorway and four

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

s. It may have served as a small church with a gavit. Further upon the hill east of the main church, is a medieval cemetery with a small chapel. S. Astvatsatsin Church has three walls that have remained intact, while its southern wall and most of the

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

and

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

have since collapsed. The structure is relatively unadorned in comparison to its adjoining gavit. It has narrow windows at the north wall and

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

, and would have presumably had another at the south wall. A portal leads into the gavit of the church from the west, directly across from the altar. The gavit abuts the hillside at its northwestern wall. All of the original walls, ceiling, and parts of the dome remain standing, while the exterior has not fared so well. Access to the gavit is through either the main and elaborately decorated entry at the south wall, an alternative entry at the opposite (north) wall, or from S. Astvatsatsin as mentioned earlier. Four very large columns support the vaulting that bears the weight of the roof above. The vaulting for the dome consists of six intersecting

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...

es that form an

oculus Oculus (a term from Latin ''oculus'', meaning 'eye'), may refer to the following Architecture * Oculus (architecture), a circular opening in the centre of a dome or in a wall Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Oculus'' (film), a 2013 American ...

in the center to let light into the space. Several 13th-century inscriptions may be found upon the walls, columns, capitals, and arches. There are some large

low-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impres ...

carvings of khachkars on the walls as well.

Gallery

File:Neghutsi Vank Southeast.JPG Image:Վանական համալիր Նեղուցի վանք (Արզականի վանք, Սբ. Աստվածածին, Նեղոց Սբ. Աստվածածին).JPG, View of Neghutsi Vank and Arzakan in the background Image:Նեղուցի վանք գ Արզաքան (9).JPG, View of the monastery Image:Neghutsi Vank Southwest.JPG, Southwest view of the monastery Image:Neghutsi Vank Large Khachkar.JPG, Large khachkar near S. Astvatsatsin Image:Ht153170.JPG, Gavit dome Image:Neghutsi Chapel Southwest.JPG, Southwest view of the chapel Image:Neghutsi Chapel Door.JPG, Chapel door

References

Bibliography

External links

Armeniapedia: Arzakan Village

FindArmenia.com: Neghuts S. Astvatsatsin Monastery
Christian monasteries in Armenia Tourist attractions in Kotayk Province Buildings and structures in Kotayk Province {{Armenia-OO-church-stub