AGENCY FOR CONSERVATION
OF HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL MONUMENTS
MONASTERY OF GEGHARD
(THIRTEENTH CENTURY)
THE MONASTERY OF GEGHARD OR "THE MONASTERY OF THE LANCE" (NAMED FOR THE HOLY LANCE BROUGHT THERE BY THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY WAS ALSO KNOWN CENTURIES EARLIER AS AYRIVANK, "MONASTERY OF THE CAVES". FOUNDED BY ST. GREGORY IN THE FOURTH CENTURY ACCORDING TO TRADITION, IT BECAME ONE OF THE MOST CELEBRATED ARMENIAN RELIGIOUS CENTERS AND PILGRIMAGE SITES, FAMOUS FOR ITS SCHOOL, SCRIPTORIUM, AND THE FOUR CHAMBERS EXPERTLY CARVED OUT OF THE ADJACENT STEEP CLIFFS. MANY INSCRIPTIONS AND DOCUMENTS DATE FROM THE SEVENTH AND TENTH CENTURY RESPECTIVELY. SACKED BY ARABS IN THE TENTH CENTURY, THEN CAPTURED BY THE SELJUKS, IT WAS LIBERATED BY THE ZAKARID BROTHERS AND REBUILT IN THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY. IN THE 1240'S PRINCE PROSH XALBAKEAN PURCHASED GEGHARD FROM THEM AS A MAUSOLEUM FOR HIS FAMILY, COMMISSIONED A FIRST CHURCH CARVED OUT OF THE CLIFFS. FOLLOWED BY THE SECOND PROSH CHURCH, A CRUCIFORM, WITH FIGURED KHATCHKARS (ORNATE CROSSSTONES) AND AN ELABORATELY CARVED CUPOLA.. ITS SQUARE GAVIT (NARTHEX) HAS A MAUSOLEAL NICHE AND WALLS CARVED WITH SAINTS, BIRDS AND ANIMALS. BOTH CHURCHES WERE COMPLETED BY 1283, AND THE UPPER GAVIT WITH FOUR MASSIVE PIERS AND CENTRAL CUPOLA BY 1288. OUTSIDE THE MONASTERY'S WALL, CARVED OUT OF A CLIFF, ARE THE TWELFTH CENTURY CHURCH OF ST. ASTVADZADZIN AND THE CAVE–CHAMBER (1291) OF MEKHITAR OF AYRIVANK, AN EMINENT THIRTEENTH CENTURY THEOLOGIAN. AMID THE SURROUNDING CLIFFS, THERE ARE NUMEROUS CAVES ONCE USED AS MONASTIC CELLS.
(WITH THE GENEROSITY AND ASSISTANCE OF THE ARMENIAN LIBRARY AND MUSEUM OF AMERICA, IN WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS.)
