The Monastery of Saint Translators ( hy, Սուրբ Թարգմանչաց վանք, ''Surb Targmanchats Vank'', az, Quşçu məbədi) is an Armenian
/ref> ttp://www.armenianarchitecture.am/v2/blank.php?QueryString=site&Language=1&tab=0 Archive materials about the Monastery monastery, founded in the 4th century. It is located north of

Dashkasan Dashkasan ( az, Daşkəsən, fa, داشکسن) is a three cave complex located south-east of Soltaniyeh. Outside the caves there is a temple called Dragon Stone of Dash Kasan Caves which was built by order of Mongol king Öljaitü in the early ...

, 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 was founded by Saints Mesrop Mashtots and

Sahak Partev Isaac or Sahak of Armenia (354–439) was Catholicos (or Patriarch) of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He is sometimes known as "Isaac the Great," and as "Sahak the Parthian" (Armenian: Սահակ Պարթեւ, Sahak Parthew", Parthian: ''Sahak-i ...

. In 411 they translated the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

from Syriac.A Brief History of the Art and Architecture of Artsakh — Nagorno Karabakh
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History

Saint Translators armenian monastery in Dashkesan

According to some sources the monastery was built in the end of the 4th century and the beginning of the 5th century. In 989 and 1845 the monastery was reconstructed. The monastery rose during the reign of bishop Gabriel Harutunyan. During his reign, many people from near villages help monastery. The new rose of the monastery was during the reign of Stepanos Balyants in the 1830s. It is known that in 1839, monk Grigor Ter-Hovhannesyants three times served as a priest. In 1849 archimandrite Sargis had followed archimandrite Hovhannes. A vaulted barn is located to the east of the monastery.

Name

The Monastery of Saint Translators (Surb Targmanchats) received its name because on its wall Mesrop Mashtots and

translated the

from Syriac.

Description

Church

The main church of the complex is dated to 1630. The church consists of one vaulted rom with an apse in the east, between the two small rooms. Around the nave of the church is located gavit (for porch in Armenian), which stretches west from nave as well. Two-storeyed tower, built of carved stone, is adjacent to the porch to the south and leads to the main entrance of the church. The hall is located north of the church, which probably served as a place of worship -

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

The cells

There are cells of the monks 5 meters (16 feet) east of the church, looking west. The cells have 6 vaulted rooms, with each having an entrance and a window looking west. To the southeast of cells from north to south stretches a dining room. From the south to the dining room adjoins a similar room, most likely served as a kitchen. The cells of the monks were built in the same style as the whole church, built in 1630. The barn and dining room were attached with archimandrite Stepanos in the 1830s.

Current status

The monastery complex is in a state of collapse.

References

{{Armenian Churches Armenian Apostolic monasteries in Azerbaijan Ruined abbeys and monasteries Destroyed Armenian churches in Azerbaijan