Yeghishe Arakyal Monastery

Yeghishe Arakyal Monastery (Armenian: Եղիշե առաքյալի վանք, romanized: Yeghishe Arakyali Vank) or Monastery of Yeghishe the Apostle (Azerbaijani: Müqəddəs Yelisey monastırı) is an Armenian Apostolic Church, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan, located close to the village of Madagiz, on the bank of the Tartar River. The complex comprises the church, seven chapels, a cemetery, and ruins of other buildings.^[1]

Yeghishe Arakyal Monastery
Եղիշե առաքյալի վանք
Remains of Yeghishe Arakyal Monastery
Religion
Affiliation	Armenian Apostolic Church
Location
Location	near Madagiz, Nagorno-Karabakh
Shown within Azerbaijan
Geographic coordinates	40.335775°N 46.693794°E / 40.335775; 46.693794
Architecture
Groundbreaking	5th century
Completed	13th century

History

Plan of the monastery complex

Yeghishe Arakyal Monastery was built sometime in the 5th century, although the primary church was built in the 1165. According to the medieval historian Movses Kaghankatvatsi, the monastery was renamed after the Yeghishe, a disciple of Thaddeus the Apostle, after Yeghishe's relics were moved there.^[2] One of the seven chapels surrounding the minster is the tomb of Vachagan III, King of Caucasian Albania, also known as Vachagan the Pious (487–510); another chapel contains the grave of Melik-Atam the Great (Melik-Israelian) of Jraberd.^[3] In the Middle Ages, Yeghishe Arakyal Monastery became a highly important center of culture and learning in Artsakh; it produced and held numerous manuscripts and documents.^[4]

Throughout the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the monastery has remained largely untouched due to its inaccessible location. However, the growth of vegetation and natural weathering has weakened the structure over time.^[2]

Gallery

• 
  Refectory
• 
  Doorway to the vestibule with tympanum and carvings
• 
  One of the chapels
• 
  Khachkar
• 
  Khachkars
• 
  Armenian inscription

See also

• Armenian culture
• Armenian architecture
• Architecture of Azerbaijan
• Culture of Nagorno-Karabakh
• Bridge of Jerveshtik

References

1. "6 Christian Sites Armenia Fears It Has Lost to Azerbaijan". christianitytoday.com. 5 January 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
2. "The monastery of the apostle Yeghisha". Monument Watch. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
3. Melik-Hakobian, Hakob. The Five Melikdoms of Karabagh (Խամսայի Մելիքությունները). ISBN 978-1909382602.
4. "The Monastery of the Apostle St.Yeghishe". AAHC Diocese of Artsakh. 2022-09-15. Retrieved 2023-10-02.

External links

• Yeghishe Arakyel Monastery at Armeniapedia.org