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Armenia31 Akhtala monastery

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Akhtala is a 10th-century fortified Georgian Orthodox Church monastery located in the town of Akhtala in the marz of Lori, 185 kilometers (115 mi) north of Yerevan. The fortress played a major role in protecting the north-western regions of Armenia (Gugark) and is among the most well preserved of all in modern Armenia. The main church at the compound is famous for its highly artistic frescoes, which cover the inside walls, the partitions, and the bearings of the building. The original Armenian name of the settlement where the monastery is built is Pghindzahank, which means copper mine

Wedding rings statue. Pater Vigen said, if couples go through they will leave all the bad things (the snake and scorpion) behind and are facing a good future

According to some local lore, the church was built in the 7th

century by Byzantine emperor of Armenian extraction, Heraclius.

Another legend assumes that the

church was built in the 5th century by

Georgian King Vakhtang I Gorgasali.

There is no reasonable evidence to

support either story.  Modern

researchers date the murals within

the church to 1205–1216

From the late 18th century to the present the

monastery has served ethnic Greeks

who settled in Akhtala to work in the

nearby gold and silver mines

Akhtala remains one of Armenia's

best intact examples of its

great fresco period

Several monasteries in northern Armenia were converted to Chalcedonian or Greek (Byzantine) Orthodoxy, a prominent example being Akhtala.

About 800 Greek families were moved from Gümüşhane in the Ottoman Empire to Akhtala in 1763 by the Georgian King Herekleh II.

The Greeks called the monastery "Meramani" and Greek miners have left inscriptions on the monastery walls. In the 19th century Akhtala was taken over by the Armenian princely family of Melikovs.

Compared to all other Armenian monasteries it distinguishes from its precious and unique frescos which are very well preserved and in original condition

Pghndzavank was the religious

center for Chalcedonian Armenians as

well as an Armenian-

Georgian center for learning

The majority of the murals bare

scriptures in Greek

The murals are one of the best representations of Byzantine art outside the traditional borders of Byzantium

The murals were painted under the patronage of atabek Ivane Zakarian between 1205 and 1216

The coloring of the murals is characteristic of typical Byzantine art while the thematic solutions are more Armenian

Some of the murals were renovated in 1979

The Akhtala fortress with its temple complex is situated in Akhtala village of Tumanyan region in a high valley.

The fortress’ territory is surrounded with rocky deep canyons from three sides, and the north side joins the plain

Pghndzahank became the property of Ivaneh Zakarian in the 1180s. While Ivaneh's brother Zakareh remained faithful to the Armenian Apostolic Church, Ivaneh had accepted the Byzantine (or Chalcedonian) Orthodoxy in the Georgian Court (which had adopted it in the 7th century).

The prominent Armenian filmmaker of the 20th

century Sergei Parajanov filmed two

episodes of his film The Color of Pomegranates at

the monastery

Besides the natural advantages, the fortress was protected by tall pyramid gates mutually connected with the picturesque environs which are preserved to this day

Sound: Lusine Zakaryan -Vocalise by Arno Babajanyan

Text & pictures: Internet

Copyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanu

www.slideshare.net/michaelasanda