A ''gavit'' (Armenian ) or ''zhamatun'' (Armenian: ) is often contiguous to the west of a church in a Medieval

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 ...

n monastery. It served as

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 ...

(entrance to the church), mausoleum and assembly room.

History

The ''gavit'', the distinctive Armenian style of narthex, appeared in the tenth and eleventh centuries. The first were located in the south of the Armenia in the region of Syunik. The type of construction changed during the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, as found in the monasteries of

Saghmosavank The Saghmosavank ( hy, Սաղմոսավանք, lit. "monastery of the Psalms") is a 13th-century Armenian monastic complex located in the village of Saghmosavan in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. Like the Hovhannavank monastery which is five ...

of Haritchavank, or

Hovhannavank Hovhannavank ( hy, Հովհաննավանք) is a medieval monastery located in the village of Ohanavan in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. The monastery stands on the edge of the Kasagh River canyon, and its territory is adjacent to the vill ...

Monastery. They changed again in the late thirteenth century as can be seen in monasteries such as Gandzasar, and gradually ceased to be built in the late Middle Ages.

Structure

The earliest style of ''gavit'' consists of an oblong vault supported by double arches, with an '' erdik'' (lantern) center. This form was replaced by a square room with four columns, divided into nine sections with a dome in the center. The last evolution consists of a ''gavit'' without columns and with arched ceilings. On the west side of the Church of the Holy Redeemer in the

Sanahin Monastery Sanahin Monastery is an Armenian monastery founded in the 10th century in the Lori Province of Armenia, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name Sanahin literally translates from Armenian as 'this one is older than that one', presumabl ...

complex, the ''gavit'' built in 1181 has four tall free-standing internal pillars supporting arches. The pillars and their bases are elaborately decorated. In the same complex, the ''gavit'' of the Mother of God church is a three-nave hall with lower arches and less elaborate decorations on the pillars. Image:Sanahin Mare de Deu gavit 2.jpg, ''Gavit'' in the first style,

Sanahin Sanahin () is a village in the northern province of Lori in Armenia, now considered part of the city of Alaverdi (a cable car connects it with Alaverdi). The village is notable for its Sanahin Monastery complex, founded in the 10th century and ...

, ''Sourp Astvatsatsin'' Image:Sanahin Salvador gavit 1.jpg, ''Gavit'' in the second style, Sanahin, ''Sourp Amenakrpitch'' Image:Hovhannavank23.jpg, ''Gavit'' in the second style,

References

{{Reflist Church architecture Eastern Christian liturgy Armenian words and phrases