Tsitsernavank ( hy, Ծիծեռնավանք) is a fifth-to-sixth century
Armenian Apostolic
, native_name_lang = hy
, icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg
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, image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg
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, a ...
monastery
in the
Lachin District
Lachin District ( az, Laçın rayonu, ku, Navçeya Laçînê, script=Latn) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the west of the country and belongs to the East Zangezur Economic Region. The district borders the districts ...
of
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
. The monastery is within five kilometers of the border 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 ''Ox ...
's province of
Syunik, in an area historically known as ''Kashataghk'' ().
In
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
, the monastery is called Aghoghlan (); the state refuses to recognize the monastery as Armenian Apostolic, instead referring to it as "
Caucasian Albania
Caucasian Albania is a modern exonym for a former state located in ancient times in the Caucasus: mostly in what is now Azerbaijan (where both of its capitals were located). The modern endonyms for the area are ''Aghwank'' and ''Aluank'', among ...
n".
Etymology
There are two interpretations about the
Armenian
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 ...
etymology of the church. The first interpretation is that the name of the church is based on Armenian word "
Tsitsernak", which means
swallow
The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...
. According to researchers, the usage of this name of because of swallows who made nests in the church's ruins.
According to the other interpretation, the name of the church is based on Armenian word "
tsitsern", which means
pinky finger
The little finger, or pinkie, also known as the baby finger, fifth digit, or pinky finger, is the most ulnar and smallest digit of the human hand, and next to the ring finger.
Etymology
The word "pinkie" is derived from the Dutch word ''pink ...
, presumably a reference to the relics of St. George that were kept in the church.
The etymology of the
Azerbaijani name for the mislabeledly
Albanian
Albanian may refer to:
*Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular:
**Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans
**Albanian language
**Albanian culture
**Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
church
—as it is referred to in the country—' (''Aghoghlan''), is believed to be related to the river passing nearby, which possesses the same name.
History
Historically, Tsitsernavank Monastery is located in Aghahechk, one of the 12 cantons of the historical Armenian province and principality of
Syunik. By the 15th century Aghahechk had split into two districts: the northern half was called Khozhoraberd; the southern half, containing Tsitsernavank, was called Kashatagh.
The basilica of Tsitsernavank was believed to contain relics of
St. George the Dragon-Slayer. In the past, the monastery belonged to the
Tatev
The Tatev Monastery ( hy, Տաթևի վանք, Tat'evi vank') is a 9th-century Armenian Apostolic monastery located on a large basalt plateau near the village of Tatev in the Syunik Province in southeastern Armenia. The term "Tatev" usually refe ...
diocese and is mentioned as a notable religious centre by the 13th-century historian
Stepanos Orbelian
Stepanos Orbelian ( hy, Ստեփանոս Օրբելեան, originally spelled hy, Ստեփաննոս, translit=Stepʻannos, label=none; – 1303) was a thirteenth-century Armenians, Armenian historian and the metropolitan bishop of the provi ...
and Bishop Tovma Vanandetsi (1655).
In 1613, the monastery's fortified wall was repaired and its arched gateway was constructed. The building inscription in Armenian recording this act disappeared between 1989 and 1992, during the
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in th ...
. The church and its belltower were renovated in 1779. The building inscription in Armenian recording this renovation disappeared in 1967.
In the 19th century, it served as the parish church for the adjoining peasant settlement of Zeyva and was called St. Stephanos. Zeyva's Armenian inhabitants fled during 1905
Armenian-Tatar war, never to return. During the Soviet period, the village was renamed Gusulu and the church was unused but preserved as a historical monument. Tsitsernavank's church of St. George (St. Gevorg) was reconsecrated in October 2001, after a heavy restoration in 1999-2000 paid for by
Armenian diaspora
The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...
funds, and is a venue for annual festivals honouring
St. George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
.
The church and the Lachin District were returned to Azerbaijan on 1 December 2020 as part of the
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement
The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement is an armistice agreement that ended the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. It was signed on 9November by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the Pre ...
.
Architecture
The church has no early building inscriptions; however, based on its appearance, it is believed to have been constructed in three main stages. Its earliest form appears to have been a simple rectangular basilica, without an
apse
In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...
. Based on the style of the doorways in its south wall, this building period has been dated to the 5th or 6th century AD. However, an alternative thesis exists that dates this stage to the 3rd century AD, and suggests that it was a pre-Christian temple. During the second stage of construction, a windowless apse was added (constructed inside the eastern end of the rectangular interior) and the upper parts of the outside walls were built. This may have happened in the 6th century. At this period, the arcades that separated the interior nave from its aisles were probably still constructed of timber. In the third period of construction, stone pillars and arches replaced them. Based on the style of their capitals, this occurred sometime between the end of the 6th century and the beginning of the 10th century.
The monastery is recognized as a native Armenian example of an "oriental" basilica. Being a three-nave basilica, like most of those in Armenia of 5-6th centuries; Tsitsernavank's central nave is only slightly taller than the lateral naves, from which it is separated by two rows of pillars. The plan is similar to a series of Armenian basilicas like Yereruyk,
Yeghvard
Yeghvard ( hy, Եղվարդ) is a town and urban municipal community in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. It is located 39 kilometres southwest of the provincial centre Hrazdan. As of the 2011 census, the population of the town is 11,672, almost ...
,
Dvin, Ashtarak (
Tsiranavor),
Tekor - in that it had an interior composed of three aisles or naves, the central and largest one of which was separated from the others by pillars which also helped support the roof.
The church has an inscription dating back before the 10th century that reads "Remember the prayers of your servant, the undeserving Grigor, for his beloved brother Azat."
Gallery
File:Tzitzernavank-Monastery.jpg, Southern wall of the monastery
File:Cicernavank1.jpeg, Tombstone with Armenian inscripions close to church
File:Ağoğlan.JPG, Plan of the basilica
File:Tzitzernavank Monastery 100.JPG, Outer wall surrounding the monastery
File:Cicernavank3.jpeg, The Monastery's interior.
File:Tzitzernavank Monastery 113.JPG
File:Stamps of Azerbaijan, 2006-725.jpg, Azerbaijani stamp depicting the monastery
See also
*
Armenian culture
The culture of Armenia encompasses many elements that are based on the geography, literature, architecture, dance, and music of the people.
Creative arts
Literature
Literature began in Armenia around 401 A.D. The majority of the literary ...
*
Armenian architecture
Armenian architecture comprises architectural works with an aesthetic or historical connection to the Armenian people. It is difficult to situate this architectural style within precise geographical or chronological limits, but many of its monumen ...
*
Architecture of Azerbaijan
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...
References
External links
Some photographs of Tsitsernavank at RAA official site,
Adriano Alpago Novello
Adriano Alpago-Novello (July 10, 1932 in Belluno – June 4, 2005 in Belluno) was an Italian architect, art historian and professor.
Adriano Alpago-Novello was born in Belluno by Alberto Alpago Novello, architect and urban planner, and Laura Carl ...
, ARCHITETTURA ARMENA - Catalogo della MOSTRA DI ARCHITETTURA ARMENA tenuta a Bergamo, presso il Palazzo della Ragione, 1975 - Torino
1700 years of Christian Armenia / Tsitsernavank (in Russian)A Brief History of the Art and Architecture of Artsakh — Nagorno Karabakh, by P. Donabedian, Dr. L. Durnovo, Dr. A. Yakobson, Dr. B. Ulubabian, S. Karapetian and B. Baratov3D Model of The Monastery
{{Armenian Churches
Armenian Apostolic churches
Armenian Apostolic monasteries
Christian monasteries in the Republic of Artsakh
Christian monasteries in Azerbaijan
Churches in Azerbaijan
Armenian Apostolic monasteries in Azerbaijan
Oriental Orthodox congregations established in the 5th century
Christian monasteries established in the 5th century