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Noravank (meaning “New Monastery”) is a 13th-century Armenian monastery, located 122km from Yerevan in a narrow gorge made by the Amaghu river. The gorge is known for its tall, sheer, brick-red cliffs surrounding the monastery. Noravank was founded in 1205 and became the residence of the Orbelian princes. The architect Siranes and the miniature painter and sculptor Momik worked here in the latter part of the thirteenth and early fourteenth century. In the 13th and 14th centuries it became a major religious and cultural center of Armenia.

Surb Astvatsatsin church

The second church is the Surb

Karapet, a cross within square design with

restored drum and dome built in

1216–1227, just North of the ruins

of the original Surb Karapet, destroyed in an earthquake.

 Surb Karapet Church (St. John the Baptist)

The south entrance to Surp Karapet (St. John the Baptist) church

Surb Astvatsatsin church

Cross decoration on the north wall of ground floor of Surp Astvatsatsin

 Surb Karapet Church

The façade of Surb Karapet Church with a striking depiction of God the Father (upper relief) blessing the Crucifix with his right hand and holding in his left hand the head of Adam, with a dove — the Holy Spirit — above it

God the Father blessing the Crucifix with right hand and holding in his left hand the head of Adam

God the Father holding in his left hand the head of Adam, with a dove — the Holy Spirit — above it

The semi-circular tympanum of the door is filled with an ornament and with a representation of the Holy Virgin seated on a rug with the Child and flanked by two saints

The sculptor of the grandest portions of Noravank was an artist by the name of Momik, who created the lovely stonework that survives today

Inside the Surb Karapet gavit

Surb Karapet gavit

Forming the western antechamber is an

impressive gavit of 1261, decorated with splendid

khachkars and with a series of inscribed

gravestones in the floor

 In 1321 the building, was covered with a

new roof in the shape of an enormous stone

tent. This made the structure quite different

from other Armenian monuments of the

same kind.

The gavit ceiling has four rows of brackets forming stalactite vaulting with a square lighting

aperture at the top

Surb Karapet chutch

On altar The Virgin by Vartkes Surenyants

(1860-1921)

The Virgin by Vartkes Surenyants (1860-1921)

In 1340 an earthquake destroyed the dome of the church which in 1361 was reconstructed by the architect Siranes. In 1931 the dome was damaged during another earthquake

In 1949, the roof and the walls of the church were

repaired and finally completely renovated in 1998

with the aid of an Armenian-

Canadian family

Inside the Surb Karapet gavit

Tympanum of the Western façade of Saint Grigor chapel

Ornament on the ceiling of the Saint

Grigor chapel made with the Vordan Karmir

(Cochineal Red) pigment

The side chapel of Surb (Saint) Grigor was added by the architect Siranes to the northern wall of Surb Karapet church in 1275. The chapel contains more Orbelian family tombs, including a splendid carved lion/human tombstone dated 1300 

carved lion/human tombstone dated 1300, covering the grave of Elikum son of Prince Tarsayich Orbelian.  

Reliquary

The Orbelian family was one of

the strongest dynasties in

Armenian history, certainly in

medieval times. During Burtegh‘s

During Burtegh's reign arts and culture rose to new

heights, the era marked by the activity of the architect and

artist Momik. 

Momik also carved a number of uniquely Armenian religious

monuments known as "khachkars" which usually

depicted an image of a cross surmounting a circular symbol. The

sculptor is also buried in a simple grave at the site.

Sound: Djivan Gasparyan - I'm gone

Text: Internet

Pictures: Sanda Foişoreanu

Internet

Copyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanu

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