Saint Christopher Monastery ( hy, Սուրբ Քրիստափորի վանք; meaning the ''Monastery of Saint Christopher''), is a restored
Armenian church
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 ...
of the 7th century, located in a cemetery southeast of the outskirts of
Dashtadem village and
Dashtadem Fortress
Dashtadem Fortress ( hy, Դաշտադեմի ամրոց) is a substantial fortress of the 10th to 19th centuries located at the southern outskirts of Dashtadem village in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. In a cemetery south of Dashtadem, lies ...
in the
Aragatsotn Province
Aragatsotn ( hy, Արագածոտն, ) is a province ('' marz'') of Armenia. It is located in the western part of the country. The capital and largest city of the province is the town of Ashtarak. The Statistical Committee of Armenia reported i ...
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 ' ...
.
Adjacent to the church (north) is a 13th-century stone rectangular tower (bell/defensive/funerary) with sloped walls.
It has small windows on the upper portion of the wall, but no access to the interior. The surrounding cemetery has been in use from the 6th century to modern times, and contains several interesting
khachkars. A low-stone wall surrounds the complex and a section of the old cemetery. Dashtadem Fortress may be seen in the distance from the monastery.
Architecture
Surb Nshan Church
The Church of Surp Nshan is constructed of orange and gray
tuff
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock ...
stone. Some of the stones on the southern and western exterior façades bear inscriptions in
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 ...
. A single
compound dome
A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...
is centered above the main body of the church, with an
octagonal
In geometry, an octagon (from the Greek ὀκτάγωνον ''oktágōnon'', "eight angles") is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon.
A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, w ...
façade around the
drum and
dome. Light penetrates the interior of the structure via four small windows positioned around the drum, and two slightly larger windows above the entry and the semi-circular
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''. ...
to the east. A portal to the west serves as the only entrance to the interior.
Low-relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impres ...
pairs of decorative
columns stand at either side of the exterior of the entry, supporting a semi-circular arched
lintel. The lintel has
dentil
A dentil (from Lat. ''dens'', a tooth) is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice. Dentils are found in ancient Greek and Roman architecture, and also in later styles such as Neoclassical, Federal, Georgian R ...
ornamentation lining its outer edge. The interior of the church is unadorned and reminiscent of Kamsarakan S. Astvatsatsin Church found in the nearby village of
Talin Talin may refer to:
Places
* Talin, Armenia, a city
* Tálín, a municipality and village in the Czech Republic
*Tallinn, capital of Estonia
* Talin, Iran, a village in West Azerbaijan Province
*Talin, Syria, a village in Tartus Governorate
Other
...
, within the
Talin Cathedral complex.
Gallery
Image:Khachkar on way to Kristapori Vank.JPG, Large khachkar along the road leading to the monastery
Image:Kristapori Vank 2.JPG, General view of the Monastery
Image:Kristapori Vank Dome Interior.JPG, Church drum and dome interior
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
Armeniapedia:Kristapori Vank Church
{{Armenian Churches
7th-century churches in Armenia
Christian monasteries in Armenia
Tourist attractions in Aragatsotn Province
Buildings and structures in Aragatsotn Province