Seen One, Seen 'Em All?

When I began to plan a two-day trip in Armenia, I was prepared to hit one monastery on the itinerary, thinking I could then say I'd been to one, that they would all offer about the same charms. Au contraire.

First, visiting the monasteries along a route is just something people do here. It is awkward to tell the tour guide you are not interested in these treasures. Second, each monastery has its own history and charms. They are not all alike. Duh. So, get ready to hear about four unique monasteries dating from the 9th to the 12th C. This post will cover the first one we visited as well as another well-known site called the Field of Khashkars. Tune in to later posts to see how they differ.

Hairavank on Lake Sevan

The first and most simple site we visited was Hayrivank on the western shore of Lake Sevan. It is thought this was a parish church built during the 9th C. At one time it sat literally on the shore of the lake. Water levels have dropped by about 40 feet over the centuries.

Water levels were as high as the top of the white rocks at one time.

Exit to the lakeside.

Simple front door

At this first site we observed two aspects that became recognizable in others. First,the basic structure of the buildings vary little. Most Armenian churches are not large and the center is square with a domed ceiling. There are no seats or pews. Generally they are positioned east-west. In places where churches are positioned north-south, it is thought that these churches were built on top of existing sites of pagan worship used in the pre-Christian era.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Khashkar in side of building

The second aspect we saw again and again were khashkars or highly carved memorial stones. The stones were embedded in the walls or placed on the ground, often in cemeteries.

Ceiling of main worship room

Starting the monastery visits with Hayrivank turned out to be a good thing since it is small, relatively plain in appearance and we were the only people there at the time--which made it feel very special, something we did not fully appreciate until later.

Not far from Hayrivank is another national site called the Field of Khaskars, pronounced something like but not exactly, "hahsh-cars." If you can get a good gutteral sound into the first two letters, you will be close. This large cemetery at Noratus has been partially restored with the support of the US and Italian governments and private companies in Armenia. 

There we saw the first of several places with an unusual accommodation to people who have visual impairments. A panel of explanations in Braille in five languages sits at the entrance. This seemed especially remarkable because accessibility for people with mobility handicaps or who use wheelchairs is quite limited here (except all the corner curbs have ramps) and I have never seen this in the US that I recall.

Gor with his distant cousin among the khachkars

The guidebook warns that visitors will be approached by local women selling their hand-made wares at the Field of Khachkars. And indeed when we entered, it was as if some little bell went off and four or five women started to head our way. Our tour guide/driver, Gor, had actually met one of the women on a previous trip and established that they were probably related in some way from a century ago when one of his great uncles settled there. Here she is showing us how she spins yarn by hand. A pair of thick wool socks later, we bought hot pads tied together with yarn (like strings on kids' mittens) from each of two more women. Gor called a halt at that point, or I would probably still be there buying things.

One of the most interesting khachkars we saw told a very tragic story. A wedding party was attacked by Mongol invaders and everyone was killed. The stone pictured below shows the attackers on horses, the bride and groom, the bride's parents, a wine jug, lavash, and the table set for the party. Tragic in its own right, I felt saddened that still today we hear stories like this, though now they are often bombings of whole families celebrating a wonderful event.

Can you find all the elements?

Among the ancient stones we saw much newer ones as well, including one that had had a visitor within the past year. Pictures of the buried families members are etched in the granite stone of some newer memorial.

 

Next monastery and related sights:  Tatev, deep in southeastern Armenia and accessible by the world's longest cable car.