Surb Karapet Monastery of Mush ( hy, Մշո Սուրբ Կարապետ վանք, ''Msho Surb Karapet vank'', or ''Surpgarabet Manastırı''.
also known by
other names) was an
Armenian Apostolic monastery in the historic province of
Taron, about northwest of
Mush (Muş), in present-day eastern
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
.
''Surb Karapet'' translates to "
Holy Precursor" and refers to
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 ...
, whose remains are believed to have been stored at the site by
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 ...
in the early fourth century. The monastery subsequently served as a stronghold of the
Mamikonians—the princely house of Taron, who claimed to be the holy warriors of John the Baptist, their patron saint. It was expanded and renovated many times in later centuries. By the 20th century, it was a large fort-like enclosure with four chapels.
Historically, the monastery was the religious center of Taron and was a prominent pilgrimage site. It was considered the most important monastery in
Turkish (Western) Armenia and the second most important of all Armenian monasteries after
Etchmiadzin
Vagharshapat ( hy, Վաղարշապատ ) is the 4th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is comm ...
. From the 12th century, the monastery was the seat of the diocese of Taron, which had an Armenian population of 90,000 in the early 20th century. It attracted pilgrims and hosted large celebrations on several occasions annually. The monastery was burned and looted during the
Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through t ...
of 1915 and later abandoned. Its stones have since been reappropriated by local Kurds for building purposes.
Names
Throughout its history, the monastery has been known by several names. One of the common names was Glakavank (Գլակավանք), meaning "Monastery of Glak" after its first father superior,
Zenob Glak Zenob Glak ( hy, Զենոբ Գլակ) was an Armenian historian who became the first abbot of the Glak monastery (also known as ''Surb Karapet Monastery'', dedicated to St. John the Baptist ) in the Taron region of Greater Armenia. He began the c ...
. Due to its location it was also called Innaknian vank,
translating to "Monastery of the Nine Springs".
Turkish sources refer to it as Çanlı Kilise
(lit. "Church with Bell Towers"),
or Çengelli Kilise (meaning "Church with Bells" in
Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish languages
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern Kurdistan
**Eastern Kurdistan
**Northern Kurdistan
**Western Kurdistan
See also
* Kurd (dis ...
,
also the name of the village in which it is located). They sometimes provide a version of its Armenian name: ''Surpgarabet Manastırı''.
Turkish sources and travel guides generally omit the fact that it was an Armenian monastery.
History
Foundation to the Middle Ages
According to Armenian tradition, the site was founded in the early fourth century by
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 ...
, who went to
Taron to spread Christianity following the conversion of King
Tiridates III of Armenia
Tiridates III ( Armenian: Գ ''Trdat III''; – c. 330), also known as Tiridates the Great ( hy, Տրդատ Մեծ ''Trdat Mets''), or Tiridates IV, was the Armenian Arsacid king from c.298 to c. 330.
In 301, Tiridates proclaimed Christiani ...
. At the time, there were two brass statues of the
pagan idols Gisané and Demeter on the site of the cloister.
They were presumably razed to the ground by Gregory, who erected a
martyrion to house the remains of Saints Athenogenes and
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 he had brought from
Caesarea. According to other sources the pagan temples were dedicated to
Vahagn
Vahagn or Vahakn ( hy, Վահագն), also known as Vahagn Vishapakagh ( hy, Վահագն Վիշապաքաղ, lit=Vahagn the Dragon-reaper, label=none), is a warrior god in Armenian mythology. Scholars consider him to be either the thunder, or s ...
and
Astghik, the foremost deities in pre-Christian Armenia.
James R. Russell suggests that in Armenia some of the qualities of the pagan god Vahagn were passed down to John the Baptist. Folk belief held that ''
devs
''Devs'' is an American science fiction thriller television miniseries created, written, and directed by Alex Garland. It premiered on March 5, 2020, on FX on Hulu.
Lily Chan (Sonoya Mizuno) is a software engineer for Amaya, a quantum computing ...
'' (demons) were kept underneath the monastery; they would be released during the
Second Coming
The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messian ...
by John the Baptist (''Surb Karapet'').
Zenob Glak, a Syriac archbishop, is traditionally believed to have been its first father superior. He is sometimes mentioned as the author of ''History of Taron'' (''Patmutiun Tarono'', Պատմութիւն Տարօնոյ),
although the work is generally attributed to the otherwise unknown
John Mamikonean
John or Hovhan Mamikonyan (in Armenian Հովհան Մամիկոնյան) was a 7th-century Armenian noble from the Mamikonian
Mamikonian or Mamikonean ( Classical hy, Մամիկոնեան; reformed orthography: Մամիկոնյան; Wester ...
and "scholars are convinced that the work is an original composition of a later period (post-eighth century), written as a deliberate forgery." Its main purpose seems to be asserting the monastery's preeminence.
A relatively short "historical" romance, it tells the story of the five members of the
Mamikonians, Taron's princely house: Mushegh, Vahan, Smbat, his son Vahan Kamsarakan, and the latter's son Tiran, who were known as the Holy Warriors of John the Baptist, their patron saint. They defended the monastery and other churches in the district.
Hrachia Acharian
Hrachia Acharian ( hy, Հրաչեայ Աճառեան, reformed spelling: Հրաչյա Աճառյան ; 8 March 1876 – 16 April 1953) was an Armenian linguist, lexicographer, etymologist, and philologist.
An Istanbul Armenian, Acharian stu ...
suggested that
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 had ...
, may have studied at the monastery in the late fourth century.
In the sixth century, the chronicler Atanas Taronatsi (Athanas of Taron), best remembered for collocation of the
Armenian calendar
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
, served as its father superior. The monastery's possessions were expanded in the seventh century, but the building was reduced to ruins by an earthquake in the same century. It was subsequently rebuilt and the chapel of Surb Stepanos (St. Stephen) was founded.
Christina Maranci
Christina Maranci (born 1968) is an Armenian-American researcher, writer, translator, historian, and professor at currently serving as the Mashtots Professor of Armenian Studies at Harvard University. She is considered an expert on the history and ...
is skeptical of the traditional narrative. She suggests that the foundation of the monastery is, instead, "most probably connected with the rise of the monastic movement" in
Bagratid Armenia
The Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia, also known as Bagratid Armenia ( xcl, Բագրատունեաց Հայաստան, or , , 'kingdom of the Bagratunis'), was an independent Armenian state established by Ashot I Bagratuni of the Bagratuni dynasty ...
in the 940s. In the late ninth century, following the establishment of Bagratid Armenia, a school was founded at the monastery. In the 11th century
Grigor Magistros Grigor Magistros ( hy, Գրիգոր Մագիստրոս; "Gregory the ''magistros''"; ca. 990–1058) was an Armenian prince, linguist, scholar and public functionary. A layman of the princely Pahlavuni family that claimed descent from the dyn ...
built a palace within the monastery, but it was destroyed by fire in 1058 along with St. Gregory (Surb Grigor) Church which had a wooden roof.
Following the death of the
Sökmen II Shah Armen in 1185 the monastery was attacked by Muslims. Archbishop Stepanos was killed and the monks abandoned the monastery for a year.
Modern period
![Monastery of Surb Karapet from the South](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Monastery_of_Surb_Karapet_from_the_South.png)
In the mid-16th century the Surb Karapet chapel was built.
According to the 17th-century traveler
Evliya Çelebi
Derviş Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi ( ota, اوليا چلبى), was an Ottoman explorer who travelled through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years, recording ...
the leadership of the monastery made large gifts to Turkish
pasha
Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitar ...
s in order to secure the monastic properties. From the 16th to the 18th centuries the monastery often sheltered Armenians fleeing the
Ottoman–Persian Wars
The Ottoman–Persian Wars or Ottoman–Iranian Wars were a series of wars between Ottoman Empire and the Safavid, Afsharid, Zand, and Qajar dynasties of Iran (Persia) through the 16th–19th centuries. The Ottomans consolidated their control of ...
. In the 1750s, the Surb Karapet church was destroyed by Persian troops. In the 18th century, several earthquakes hit the monastery. The one in 1784 being especially devastating; destroyed the main church, the
refectory
A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries. The name derives from the Lat ...
, part of the bell tower and the southern wall. In 1788 the monastic complex underwent complete reconstruction—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 (entrance to the church), mausoleum and assembly room.
History
The ''gavit'', the distinctive ...
'' (
narthex
The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...
) was enlarged, and renovation was carried out in its belfry, the monks' cells, scriptorium, ramparts and other sections.
19th century
In 1827 Kurdish gangs seized and looted the monastery, destroying the furniture and manuscripts.
However, the monastery prospered at the beginning in 1862 when
Mkrtich Khrimian became its father superior and, simultaneously, the prelate of Taron. Khrimian sought to reform the way donations were handled by establishing a council which would finance community projects. Before his reforms, most of the money went to the monks and affluent Armenians of the region who offered fierce opposition to him, including two attempts on his life. In his first year, he founded a largely secular school at the monastery, called ''Zharangavorats''.
Among others, the ''
fedayi''
Kevork Chavush
Kevork Ghazarian ( hy, Գէորգ Ղազարեան; 1870 – 28 May 1907), commonly known as Kevork Chavush or Gevorg Chaush ( hy, Գէորգ Չաւուշ or Գևորգ Չաուշ), was an Armenian '' fedayee'' leader in the Ottoman Empire and a ...
and
Hrayr Dzhoghk
Hrayr Dzhoghk (, ''Hrayr The Hell''; 1864–13 April 1904), born (Armenak Ghazarian hy, Արմենակ Ղազարյան), also known as Hrair, Hrayr, Tjokhk, Djohkh, Dzhokhk, was an Armenian military leader and strategist, fedayee, statesman a ...
, the singer
Armenak Shahmuradyan, and the writer
Gegham Ter-Karapetian (Msho Gegham) studied there. From April 1, 1863 until June 1, 1865 Khrimian published the journal ''The Eaglet of Taron'' (''Artzvik Tarono'', «Արծւիկ Տարօնոյ») at the monastery. It was written in
modern Armenian
Modern Armenian ( hy, աշխարհաբար, ''ashkharhabar'' or ''ašxarhabar'', literally the "secular/lay language") is the modern vernacular (vulgar) form of the Armenian language. Although it first appeared in the 14th century, it was not until ...
, and hence accessible to the common people. The journal sought to raise the
national consciousness
National identity is a person's identity or sense of belonging to one or more states or to one or more nations. It is the sense of "a nation as a cohesive whole, as represented by distinctive traditions, culture, and language". National identity ...
of the Armenians. Edited by
Garegin Srvandztiants
Garegin or Karekin Srvandztiants ( hy, Գարեգին Սրուանձտեանց or Սրուանձտեան; November 17, 1840November 17, 1892) was an Armenian philologist, folklorist, ethnographer, and ecclesiastic.
Life
Karekin Srvandztiants was ...
, a total of 43 issues were published. Khrimian left the monastery in 1868 when he became the
Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople
The Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople (french: Patriarche de Constantinople, tr, Konstantinopolis Ermeni Patriği), also known as Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul, is today head of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople ( hy, Պատրիա ...
.
According to two French travelers in 1890, the monastery possessed large plots of land and it took several hours to get from one end to another. The estate was covered by forests, arable fields and had three farms with around a thousand goats and sheep, a hundred oxen and cattle, sixty horses, twenty donkeys and four mules, which were taken care of by 156 servants. In 1896 an orphanage was founded next to the monastery, which housed a library and a school for 45 children.
According to British traveler
H. F. B. Lynch, who visited the monastery in 1893, with the presence of the Kurdish threat and the suspicions of the Turkish government "this once flourishing monastery has been stripped of much of its glamour; indeed the monks are little better than prisoners of State." The monastery was looted in 1895 during the
Hamidian massacres. By the early 20th century the monastery's structure was deteriorating. The decline continued until the start of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Destruction
During the
Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through t ...
of 1915 the monastery housed a large number of Armenians escaping the deportations and massacres. Turkish forces and Kurdish irregulars sieged it, but the Armenians within resisted for more than two months.
According to contemporary reports, around five thousand Armenians were massacred "near the wall of the monastery", while the monastery itself was "sacked and robbed". According to the American missionaries
Clarence Ussher
Clarence Douglas Ussher (September 9, 1870 – September 20, 1955) was an American physician and missionary in the Van region during the Armenian genocide, where he reported that 55,000 Armenians had been killed. In 1917 Ussher published a memoir ...
and
Grace Knapp, the Turks slaughtered "three thousand men, women, and children" gathered at the courtyard of the monastery on command of a German officer.
In 1916 the Russian troops and Armenian volunteers temporarily took control of the area and transferred around 1,750 manuscripts to Etchmiadzin.
Among them is an 18th-century reliquary of the right hand of John the Baptist made of silver repoussé. The area was recaptured by the Turks in 1918 and, subsequently, ceased to exist not only as a spiritual center, but also as an architectural monument. It remained abandoned until the 1960s when Kurdish families settled on the site.
Current state and reconstruction efforts
![Karapet Monastery Yukarıyongalı](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Karapet_Monastery_Yukar%C4%B1yongal%C4%B1.jpg)
Many buildings in
Yukarıyongalı (or Çengilli),
the village build on its site, include stones from the monastery and ''
khachkars'' (cross stones), which are embedded in the walls. The remaining stones are "being systematically carried off by the local Kurds for their own building purposes." According to historian
Robert H. Hewsen, as of 2001, only traces of two chambers of the chapel of Surb Stepanos remain, while the rest of the monastery's remains consist of "foundations and ruined walls",
which are used as barns.
In May 2015 Aziz Dağcı, the President of the NGO "Union of Social Solidarity and Culture for Bitlis, Batman, Van, Mush and Sasun Armenians", made a formal appeal to the Turkish Ministries of Culture and Interior requesting the reconstruction of the monastery and the removal of all 48 houses and 6 barns on its former location. Dagcı stated that according to the 1923
Treaty of Lausanne the Turkish government obliged to preserve the religious institutions and structures of ethno-religious minorities, including those of the Armenian community. He added that he first forwarded a letter to government agencies in 2012 who promised to clean the site within six months. Dağcı stated in March 2016 that an eviction order was issued, but the governor of Muş arbitrarily does not comply with the decision.
Surviving artifacts
Silver cross
In August 2013 an Armenian-style silver cross attributed by the seller to the Surb Karapet Monastery appeared on the Russian auction website Bay.ru and was valued at $70,000. The
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin said that they were trying "to verify the details regarding the news reports about the auction." Art historian
Levon Chookaszian noted the seller did not provide much information and added that "All we can see is that it is delicate silver work and nothing else is known
bout it"
Doors
Two monumental carved wooden doors from the monastery, dated 1212, were displayed at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
in 2018. It belongs to a private collector in Canada who acquired it from
Christie's in 1996. It was discovered by an Istanbul-based German artist in 1976 who acquired it for 5,000
Deutsche Mark
The Deutsche Mark (; English: ''German mark''), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later the unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it was ...
s. After his death, it was auctioned in London in 1996 and sold for $50,000.
Architecture
![Surb Karapet Monastery plan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Surb_Karapet_Monastery_plan.png)
The monastery was surrounded by strong walls and was similar to a fortress. Historian
Dickran Kouymjian
Dickran Kouymjian ( hy, Տիգրան Գույումճեան; born 6 June 1934) is an Armenian-American writer, publisher, editor, historian and professor.
Life
Kouymjian was born to Armenian parents in Romania on June 6, 1934. At the time of h ...
called it "a vast walled hermitage". Lynch, who visited it in 1893, described the monastery as follows: "A walled enclosure, like that of a fortress, a massive door on grating hinges—such is your first impression of this lonely fane.
..You enter a spacious court, and face a handsome belfry and porch, the façade inlaid with slabs of white marble with
bas-relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...
s." A decade earlier, English traveler
Henry Fanshawe Tozer
The Reverend Henry Fanshawe Tozer, FBA (18 May 1829 – 2 June 1916) was a British writer, teacher, traveller, and geographer. His 1897 ''History of Ancient Geography'' was well-regarded.
Biography
Tozer was born in Plymouth, Devon, the eldes ...
wrote of the monastery: "The buildings ... are of stone, very massive and very irregular, rising one above another at various angles. There was hardly any pretence of architecture, and none of the picturesque appearance which is so characteristic of Greek monasteries."
Structure
The monastery complex was composed of the main church, dedicated to the Holy Cross (Surb Khach) and four chapels to the east: Surb Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God), Surb Stepanos (Saint Stephen), Surb Karapet (Holy Precursor) and Surb Gevorg (Saint George). The main church was not a typical Armenian church but was a large hall and is believed to have originally functioned as a ''zhamatun'' (chamber). It was built of mostly gray stones and was supported by 16 columns. The chapels of Surb Karapet and Surb Stepanos had domes, with "high cylindrical drums and conical roofs". The chapel of Surb Astvatsatsin was provided to
Syriac (Assyrian) monks on the feast of St. John.
The three-storey bell tower was built in the 18th century. There were also
monk cells, a
refectory
A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries. The name derives from the Lat ...
, accommodations for pilgrims, the 19th-century prelacy building and a monastic school.
Cultural significance
The monastery was historically the religious center of Taron.
From the 12th century
until its destruction, the monastery was the seat of the diocese of Taron, which had an Armenian population of 90,000 (circa 1911). It was considered the largest and most eminent shrine in
Western (Turkish) Armenia. It was the second most important Armenian monastery after
Etchmiadzin
Vagharshapat ( hy, Վաղարշապատ ) is the 4th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is comm ...
. It remained a prominent pilgrimage site until the First World War.
People from every corner of Armenia made pilgrimages to the monastery. They usually held festivities at the monastery's yard.
It was considered by believers to be "almighty"
and was renowned for its perceived ability to heal the physically
and mentally ill.
The monastery was popularly known as ''Msho sultan Surb Karapet'' (Մշո սուլթան Սուրբ Կարապետ), literally translating to "Sultan Surb Karapet of Mush". The epithet "
Sultan" was bestowed as a reference to its high status as the "lord and master" of Taron.
The monastery housed tombs of several
Mamikonian princes as it was the dynasty's sepulchral abbey.
According to Lynch, the tombs of Mushegh, Vahan the Wolf, Smbat and Vahan Kamsarakan were located near the southern wall of the monastery.
Annual events
The monastery was a center of large annual celebrations. Various secular events took place in the surroundings, such as
horse races
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
,
tightrope walking
Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...
and
gusan competitions during the festivals of
Vardavar
Vardavar or Vartavar ( hy, Վարդավառ, Homshetsi: ''Vartevor'' or ''Behur'')) is an Armenian festival in Armenia where people drench each other with water. Origin
Vardavar's history dates back to pagan times. The ancient festival is trad ...
and
Assumption of Mary
The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution '' Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows:
We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by ...
.
Horse racing competitions were held on Vardavar and involved a large number of people.
Tightrope walking
Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...
was widely practiced by the Armenians of Taron and featured prominently during feasts at the monastery..
''Ashugh'' tradition
The monastery was a traditional pilgrimage site for Armenian ''
ashughs'' (folk musicians).
It has been compared to
Mount Parnassus
Mount Parnassus (; el, Παρνασσός, ''Parnassós'') is a mountain range of central Greece that is and historically has been especially valuable to the Greek nation and the earlier Greek city-states for many reasons. In peace, it offers ...
in Greece, which was the home of the
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
s. The prominent 18th-century ''ashugh''
Sayat-Nova
Sayat-Nova ( Armenian: Սայեաթ-Նովայ ( сlassical), Սայաթ-Նովա ( reformed); ka, საიათნოვა; ; ; born Harutyun Sayatyan; 14 June 1712 – 22 September 1795) was an Armenian poet, musician and ''ashugh'', w ...
is recorded to have made a trip to the monastery to seek
divine grace.
Cultural references
Numerous songs were dedicated to the monastery.
In the 1866 novel ''
Salbi'' (Սալբի)
Raffi
Raffi Cavoukian, ( hy, Րաֆֆի, born July 8, 1948), known professionally by the mononym Raffi, is a Canadian singer-lyricist and author of Armenian descent born in Egypt, best known for his children's music. He developed his career as a " ...
mentions the monastery and describes its perceived almightiness.
Hovhannes Tumanyan
Hovhannes Tumanyan ( hy, Հովհաննես Թումանյան, classical spelling: Յովհաննէս Թումանեան, – March 23, 1923) was an Armenian poet, writer, translator, and literary and public activist. He is the nationa ...
describes the monastery in the 1890 poem "The morning of Taron" (Տարոնի առավոտը) as "magnificently ornamented".
In the 7,000-line-long poem "Ever-Tolling Bell Tower" («Անլռելի զանգակատուն»)
Paruyr Sevak mentions the monastery and its well-known bells. The poem, published in 1959, is dedicated to
Komitas
Soghomon Soghomonian, ordained and commonly known as Komitas, ( hy, Կոմիտաս; 22 October 1935) was an Armenian priest, musicologist, composer, arranger, singer, and choirmaster, who is considered the founder of the Armenian national sch ...
, who was among those
intellectuals who were deported on April 24, 1915 during the genocide. It is recognized as "one of the most powerful literary responses to the Armenian Genocide."
In the historical novel ''The Call of Plowmen'' («Ռանչպարների կանչը», published in 1979),
Khachik Dashtents Khachik Dashtents ( hy, Խաչիկ Դաշտենց; ''Khachik Tonoyi Tonoyan'', May 25, 1910 – March 9, 1974) was an ethnic Armenian Soviet writer, poet and translator.classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA Wo ...
describes a winter scene at the monastery.
In October 2010, during the discussion of a bill in the
Armenian Parliament that would formally recognize the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
Artsakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh () or the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (),, is a breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Artsakh controls a part of the former N ...
(Artsakh), opposition MP
Raffi Hovannisian
Raffi K. Richardi Hovannisian ( hy, Րաֆֆի Կ. Ռիչարդի Հովհաննիսյան; hyw, Րաֆֆի Կ. Ռիչարդի Յովհաննէսեան; born 20 November 1959) is an Armenian politician, the first Foreign Minister of Armenia and t ...
ended his speech saying "Let us be guided by Msho Sultan Surb Karapet".
See also
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Arakelots Monastery
Arakelots Monastery ( hy, Մշո Սուրբ Առաքելոց վանք, ''Mšo Surb Arakelots vank' '', "Holy Apostles Monastery of Mush") was an Armenian monastery in the historic province of Taron, 11 km south-east of Mush (Muş), in pres ...
, another prominent monastery in Taron
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Armenian cultural heritage in Turkey
The eastern part of the current territory of the Republic of Turkey is part of the ancestral homeland of the Armenians. Along with the Armenian population, during and after the Armenian genocide the Armenian cultural heritage was targeted for des ...
References
Notes
References
Bibliography
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External links
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Монастырь Сурб Карапет близ Муша. (includes historical and recent photos)
{{Armenian Churches, state=expanded
1915 disestablishments in the Ottoman Empire
Armenian churches in Turkey
Armenian Apostolic monasteries in Turkey
Christian monasteries established in the 4th century
Christian monasteries disestablished in the 20th century
Buildings and structures demolished in 1915
4th-century churches
1915 fires in Asia
John the Baptist
Churches destroyed by Muslims
Buildings and structures in Muş Province
Ruined churches in Turkey
Armenian buildings in Turkey