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Astvatsankal
The Astvatsankal Monastery is an Armenian Monastery complex in Aragatsotn Province, between the villages of Yernjatap and Hartavan. It was built in the 4th-13th centuries. The original chapel of the church was built in the 5th or 6th century. The main church was added to the chapel in 1244 under the commission of Prince K'urd of the Vachutian dynasty and his wife Xorisali, as known from an inscription: A large '' gavit'' or narthex was built right after, circa 1250. This is one of the famous examples of Armenian architecture in the 13th century adopting the use of ''muqarnas'' designs, spurred by the influence of contemporary Islamic architecture. Examples of this can be found in the Geghard Monastery, the Gandzasar Monastery as well (all in present-day Armenia), and at the Church of St Gregory of the Illuminator in Ani. In many of these examples, muqarnas vaults are recurring features in the ''gavit''s (narthexes) of the churches, which were the locus of much innovati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vachutians
Vachutian dynasty (in Armenian Վաչուտյան տուն or Վաչուտյաններ) was an Armenian noble feudal family headed by a line of princes with the title "Prince of Princes" (in Armenian Իշխանաց իշխան pronounced Ishkhanats Ishkhan), that ruled as a suzerainty in part of Medieval Armenia from around 1206 AD to 1350 AD in the Ayraradian area and Aragatsotn Aparan (present day Aragatsotn Province in Armenia). The Vachutian dynasty was founded by Vache I Amberdtsi (also known as Vachutyan) in the beginning of the thirteenth century as one of the ruling families of the semi-independent Zakarid Armenia (1201–1335), as Zakare II Zakarian and Ivane I Zakarian had reorganized Armenia into several provinces each ruled by a feudal prince, amongst them the descendants of Vachut. Throughout their rule, the Vachutians kept close family relations through marriages with other Armenian feudal princes like the Zakarids (Զաքարյաններ) the latter keeping the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gavit
A ''gavit'' (; gawit’) or ''zhamatun'' (Armenian: ) is a congressional room or mausoleum added to the entrance of a church, and therefore often contiguous to its west side, in a Medieval Armenian monastery. It served as narthex (entrance to the church), mausoleum and assembly room, somewhat like the narthex or lite of a Byzantine church. As an architectural element, the gavit was distinct from the church, and built afterwards. Its first known instance is at the Horomos Monastery, dated to 1038, when it was already called "žamatun". The term "gavit" started to replace the term ''zhamatum from 1181, when it first appears in an inscription at the Sanahin Monastery. History The ''gavit'', the distinctive Armenian style of narthex, appeared in the tenth and eleventh centuries. The first structures in the 10th century were simple quadrangular buildings without columns and protected by wooden roofs, used as dynastic necropoleis. From the 11th century, the first known ''zhamatun'' wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muqarnas
Muqarnas (), also known in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe (from ), is a form of three-dimensional decoration in Islamic architecture in which rows or tiers of niche-like elements are projected over others below. It is an archetypal form of Islamic architecture, integral to the vernacular of Islamic buildings, and typically featured in domes and vaults, as well as iwans, entrance portals, or other niches. It is sometimes referred to as "honeycomb vaulting" or "stalactite vaulting". The muqarnas structure originated from the squinch. Its purpose is to create a smooth, decorative zone of transition in an otherwise bare, structural space. This structure gives the ability to distinguish between the main parts of a building and serves as a transition from the walls of a square or rectangular room to a round dome or vault above it. Muqarnas could also form entire vaults and domes. From below, these compositions can create an elaborate visual effect based on the interplay of light ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
