Bagavan (also spelled Bagawan; hy, Բագաւան) was an ancient locality in the central part 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 ' ...

in the principality of

Bagrevand Bagrevand (also spelled Bagrewand) was a region of Armenia. The Old Iranian etymology of the name is disputed. It is either derived from ''*bāγa.raivanta'' ("rhubarb garden") or ''baga-raēvanta-'', which either means "the rich giver" ( Mith ...

. The site is located in the village of Taşteker to the west of modern

Diyadin Diyadin ( ku, Giyadîn, ) is a town and district in Ağrı Province of Turkey, at the foot of Mount Tendürek, a high peak in the Aladağlar range that stands between Ağrı and the north shore of Lake Van. Politics The mayor is Betül Yaşar ( ...

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 ...

. Situated on a tributary of the

Euphrates The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers''). Originating in Turkey, the Eup ...

at the foothills of Mount Npat, to the north 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 ...

, Bagavan held one of the major temples of pre-Christian Armenia. After the Christianization of Armenia, Bagavan became the site of a large church and monastery. Pillaged in 1877 by the

Kurds ug:كۇردلار Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Ira ...

, it was completely destroyed after 1915 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 ...

Name

The name ''Bagavan'' literally translates as "town of the gods". The etymology was given by

Agathangelos Agathangelos (in xcl, Ագաթանգեղոս Agatʿangełos, in Greek "bearer of good news" or angel, 5th century AD ) is the pseudonym of the author of a life of the first apostle of Armenia, Gregory the Illuminator, who died about 332. He ...

, who explained the word as being Parthian, the equivalent of

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 ...

''dicʿ-awan''.

Movses Khorenatsi Movses Khorenatsi (ca. 410–490s AD; hy, Մովսէս Խորենացի, , also written as ''Movses Xorenac‘i'' and Moses of Khoren, Moses of Chorene, and Moses Chorenensis in Latin sources) was a prominent Armenian historian from the late a ...

held it as ''bagnacʿn awan'' ("town of altars"). The name, written as ''*Bagauana'', is recorded in Greek by

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importance ...

as ''Sakauana''. ''Bagavan'' was most likely connected with one of the Old Persian words for sanctuary, such as ''*bagina-'' or ''*bagastāna-''.

History

Bagavan was the site of one of the most important shrines of pre-Christian Armenia, and an

eternal flame An eternal flame is a flame, lamp or torch that burns for an indefinite time. Most eternal flames are ignited and tended intentionally, but some are natural phenomena caused by natural gas leaks, peat fires and coal seam fires, all of which can ...

was kept burning there. The royal family of Armenia celebrated the New Year's festival at Bagavan, on the first day of the first month (''Nawasard'') 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 ...

. Bagavan was also a centre for the worship of

Aramazd Aramazd ( arm, Արամազդ) was the chief and creator god in the Armenian version of Zoroastrianism.; ; ; ; ; The deity and his name were derived from the deity Ahura Mazda after the Median conquest of Armenia in the 6th century BC. Aramazd wa ...

, the Armenian version of Ahura Mazda. Movses Khorenatsi attributed the foundation of the altar at Bagavan to "the last Tigran" and the establishment of the New Year festival to King Valarsaces; however, the modern scholar Robert H. Hewsen notes that these theories were probably Movses's own inventions. According to Agathangelos,

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 ...

(287–330) and his court were baptized 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 ...

at Bagavan in the

. Gregory reportedly founded the monastery of St. John the Baptist at Bagavan. The Turkish name of the town, ''Üç Kilise'' ("the three churches"), derives from this monastery. The Sasanian king (

shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

) Yazdegerd II (438–457) camped at Bagavan in 439 during his punitive campaign in Sasanian Armenia. In 587 during the reign of emperor Maurice, Bagavan and much of Armenia came under Roman administration after the Romans defeated the Sassanid Persian Empire at the battle of the Blarathon. Bagavan's St. John the Baptist church was completed in 631–639 on the left bank of the Euphrates river. Hewsen notes that it was originally surrounded by a "high wall flanked with towers which protected the monasting buildings within". In 1877, it was ransacked by

before being completely demolished after 1915 during the

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * {{cite book , last1=Russell , first1=James R. , author-link1=James R. Russell , title=Zoroastrianism in Armenia , date=1987 , publisher=Harvard University Press , isbn=978-0674968509 Armenian Apostolic churches in Turkey Christian monasteries established in the 4th century Former buildings and structures in Turkey Former religious buildings and structures in Turkey Destroyed churches in Turkey Buildings and structures in Ağrı Province Demolished buildings and structures in Turkey 1915 disestablishments in the Ottoman Empire Buildings and structures demolished in 1915 Churches destroyed by Muslims Armenian buildings in Turkey Zoroastrianism History of Ağrı Province Ancient Armenia