Oshakan ( hy, Օշական) is a major village in the
Aragatsotn Province
Aragatsotn ( hy, wikt:Արագածոտն, Արագածոտն, ) is a administrative divisions of Armenia, province (''Marz (country subdivision), marz'') of Armenia. It is located in the western part of the country. The capital and largest city ...
of
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 ...
located 8 kilometers southwest from
Ashtarak
Ashtarak (Armenian: ), is a town and urban municipal community in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia, located on the left bank of Kasagh River along the gorge, northwest of the capital Yerevan. It is the administrative centre of the Aragatsotn pro ...
. It is well known to historians and pilgrims of the
Armenian Apostolic Church
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, icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg
, icon_width = 100px
, icon_alt =
, image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, a ...
as the site of the
grave
A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...
of
Mesrop Mashtots Mesrob or Mesrop ( hy, Մեսրոպ) is an Armenian given name.
Mesrob / Mesrop may refer to:
* Mesrop Mashtots, also Saint Mesrop, Armenian monk, theologian and linguist. Inventor of the Armenian alphabet
** Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient M ...
, the inventor of the
Armenian alphabet
The Armenian alphabet ( hy, Հայոց գրեր, ' or , ') is an alphabetic writing system used to write Armenian. It was developed around 405 AD by Mesrop Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and ecclesiastical leader. The system originally ha ...
.
History
During the
Arsacid Dynasty of the
Kingdom of Armenia, it served as the main town of
Ayrarat province and the capital of its Aragatsotn canton from which the
Amatuni noble family ruled. However, Oshakan is best known for the
Saint Mesrop Mashtots Church which is the burial place of
Saint Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the
Armenian alphabet
The Armenian alphabet ( hy, Հայոց գրեր, ' or , ') is an alphabetic writing system used to write Armenian. It was developed around 405 AD by Mesrop Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and ecclesiastical leader. The system originally ha ...
. The church houses his grave and was rebuilt by Catholicos
George IV
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...
in 1875. Wall paintings on the interior were done in 1960 by the artist H. Minasian. Saint Mesrop Cathedral is the seat of the Aragatsotn Diocese of the
Armenian Apostolic Church
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, icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg
, icon_width = 100px
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, image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, a ...
.
Just to the south of the town is the Didikond Hill, where excavations have uncovered a fort and five palaces built around the 7th to 5th centuries BC.
To the north of town located in the Mankanots Valley is
Saint Sion Church dating from the 7th century AD. It is believed to mark the grave of
Byzantine Emperor
This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as l ...
Mauricius or his mother, as one historian claims he came from Oshakan. Adjacent to the church is a pillar on a plinth dated to the 6th or 7th century.
West of Oshakan is a bridge dated to 1706 that crosses over the Kasagh River.
On a hilltop overlooking the town there is a
Tukh Manuk Shrine
Toukh ( ar, طوخ, ) is a city located in Qalyubia Governorate, Egypt. it is located on the Cairo-Alexandria agricultural road. Toukh is also a county that consists of many small towns. These towns include Tant al Gazirah and Bershoum. Toukh C ...
with a large
khachkar
A ''khachkar'', also known as a ''khatchkar'' or Armenian cross-stone ( hy, խաչքար, , խաչ xačʿ "cross" + քար kʿar "stone") is a carved, memorial stele bearing a cross, and often with additional motifs such as rosettes, i ...
monument adjacent that sits within a large cemetery. The portion of the cemetery higher upon the hill is the older section while the lower portion contains a recent cemetery. There are Iron Age tomb fields around the area. Higher upon the same hill may be seen the shrine of Saint Grigor. Nearby are also the shrines of S. Sargis, S. Tadevos the Apostle, and a rock-cut Astvatsatsin.
The village of Oshakan is mentioned in a 13th-century inscription on the southern wall of the Katoghike Church of the
Astvatsnkal Monastery built between the 5th and 13th centuries. It reads,
Oshakan is known to have had a brief visit during October 1734 by
Abraham Kretatsi during the time while he was serving the Catholicos
Abraham II. He wrote a short passage speaking of his previous days stay at
Mughni to visit the
Monastery of Surb Gevorg, "In the morning, after services, we went down to Oshakan."
Sister cities
*
Alfortville
Alfortville () is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.
History
The commune of Alfortville was created on 1 April 1885 from part of the commune of Mais ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
Gallery
Image:Oshakan Mesrop Mashtots Church 1875.JPG, Saint Mesrop Mashtots Cathedral built in 1875-79
Image:Oshakan Mesrop Mashtots Church.JPG, The front facade of Saint Mesrop Cathedral
Image:Oskan kacha.jpg, Armenian Alphabet khachkars at the Saint Mesrop Cathedral yard
Image:Tukh Manuk Shrine.JPG, Tukh Manuk shrine with the large khachkar adjacent, while the Surp Grigor Chapel is also seen in the background
Image:Oshakan Cemetery.JPG, Cemetery below Didi Kond Hill with the shrine of Surb Grigor in the background
File:Oshakan Shrine of Saint Grigor.JPG, The shrine of Surp Grigor on Didi Kond Hill overlooking the village
File:Oshakan tower.jpg, The Armenian alphabet
The Armenian alphabet ( hy, Հայոց գրեր, ' or , ') is an alphabetic writing system used to write Armenian. It was developed around 405 AD by Mesrop Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and ecclesiastical leader. The system originally ha ...
memorial in Oshakan
See also
*
Aragatsotn Province
Aragatsotn ( hy, wikt:Արագածոտն, Արագածոտն, ) is a administrative divisions of Armenia, province (''Marz (country subdivision), marz'') of Armenia. It is located in the western part of the country. The capital and largest city ...
References
*
World Gazetteer: Armenia– World-Gazetteer.com
Report of the results of the 2001 Armenian CensusOshakan
Bibliography
*
*
*Kiesling, ''Rediscovering Armenia'', pp. 14, available online at th
US embassy to Armenia's website
External links
Places of interest in the village Oshakan
{{Authority control
Populated places in Aragatsotn Province
Yazidi populated places in Armenia