Aghperig monastery (variously Aghperga, St. Aghprig Monastery (Աղբերկայ or Ս. Աղբերիկ Վանք)), also known as Beyaz Kilise, is a medieval Armenian monastic complex in the Sasun Mountains of eastern Turkey. It is located 56 kilometres West of

Lake Van Lake Van ( tr, Van Gölü; hy, Վանա լիճ, translit=Vana lič̣; ku, Gola Wanê) is the largest lake in Turkey. It lies in the far east of Turkey, in the provinces of Van and Bitlis in the Armenian highlands. It is a saline soda lake ...

in the north of the Sassun mountains in the Sason district in the province of Bitlis. The monastery was built above a

natural spring A spring is a point of exit at which groundwater from an aquifer flows out on top of Earth's crust (pedosphere) and becomes surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of fresh w ...

from where it gets its name Sourp Aghperig (Holy Spring).

History

According to the 1902 Eprigian (or Eprikian) encyclopaedia, its origins are in early Armenian Christianity, from around the 4th century.

"According to tradition the main church of this monastery was built by the Apostle
St. Thaddeus Jude ( grc-gre, Ἰούδας Ἰακώβου translit. Ioúdas Iakóbou) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is generally identified as Thaddeus ( grc-gre, Θαδδαῖος; cop, ⲑⲁⲇⲇⲉⲟⲥ; ...
. The adjacent second church was built by Gregory the Illuminator ir. 300 There is a spring beneath the church which appears a short distance away from the monastery, hence the name of the monastery, Sourp Aghprig oly Spring We saw this spring as we approached the monastery."

During the

Hamidian massacres The Hamidian massacres also called the Armenian massacres, were massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in the mid-1890s. Estimated casualties ranged from 100,000 to 300,000, Akçam, Taner (2006) '' A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide an ...

of 1895, the monastery took in refugees and wounded people. The American physician John G. Wishard recorded the testimony of an Armenian woman in his book ‘Twenty Years in Persia’:

"A woman by the name of Rahan, formerly of Dalorig, now staying at Havodoric, said, 'Our family numbered twelve, of whom five were killed. My husband, brother, and his son were hacked in pieces, my husband received a terrible wound and is now at St. Aghperig monastery."’

The monastic community left the site around the time of the 1915 Armenian genocide and the buildings have since been unoccupied and slowly becoming ruins. Many local people believed that Armenians were wealthy and hid gold beneath the ground when they left. For this reason, there are many pits dug around the site. The

Gomidas Institute The Gomidas Institute (GI; hy, ԿԻ) is an independent academic institution "dedicated to modern Armenian and regional studies." Its activities include research, publications and educational programmes. It publishes documents, monographs, memoir ...

paid a visit to the monastery in 2015 with academics and journalists. The London-based academic institute has been working with local Kurdish civil society and the municipality of

Mutki Mutki ( ku, Motkî), is a town and district of Bitlis Province, Turkey. The current mayor is Vahdettin Barlak ( AKP). Notable People * Zaro Aga Zaro Aga ( tr, Zaro Ağa, ku, زارۆ ئاغا) was a Turkish-Kurd who claimed to be one of t ...

to campaign for the protection of the monastery, which is on land owned by the state. The 2016 documentary film ''

100 Years Later ''100 Years Later'' is a 2016 British documentary film directed, written, and produced by John Lubbock. The film follows the work of historian Ara Sarafian, executive director of the Gomidas Institute in London, in his efforts to create dialog ...

'', about the work of Gomidas Institute founder and historian

Ara Sarafian Ara Sarafian (Armenian: ) is a British historian of Armenian origin. He is the founding director of the Gomidas Institute in London, which sponsors and carries out research and publishes books on modern Armenian and regional studies. Early li ...

, records this trip to the monastery.

Gallery

File:Aghperig Monastery in the Sasun Mountains, East Anatolia 15.jpg File:Aghperig Monastery in the Sasun Mountains, East Anatolia 16.jpg File:Aghperig Monastery in the Sasun Mountains, East Anatolia 29.jpg File:Aghperig Monastery in the Sasun Mountains, East Anatolia 19.jpg File:Aghperig Monastery in the Sasun Mountains, East Anatolia 26.jpg

External links

References

{{Armenian Churches Armenian Apostolic monasteries in Turkey Armenian Apostolic churches in Turkey Christian monasteries established in the 4th century Oriental Orthodox congregations established in the 4th century Bitlis Province Hamidian massacres Armenian buildings in Turkey