As Nagorno means 'mountainous' in Russian, Kara means 'black' in Turkish, and Bagh means 'garden' in Persian, this region of the compound name of three languages, Nagorno Karabagh meaning 'Mountainous Black Garden', is called 'Artsagh' by the locals. This area has become the independent Republic of Nagorno Karabagh (Artsagh), as a result of the cease-fire in 1994 in the territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan (the 'Nagorno Karabagh War' had a death toll of 20,000) following the fall of the USSR. Although this country has been internationally recognized by Armenia alone, one has to gain a visa at the Embassy of Nagorno Karabagh in Yerevan in order to enter the regions, but there are many places banned to visit. The capital is Stepanakert, the city of which was planned by the Armenian architect Alexandr Tamanian in the Soviet era, embracing a population of 50,000 nowadays.

Dadi Vank, one of the largest monasteries in Armenia, locating most northerly in Nagorno Karabagh, was first constructed in the 9th century to be dedicated to St. Dadi, who had been a disciple of St Thaddeus, one of the Apostles. It is also said that there had been a small church there before from the 4th century. Although the monastery was plundered and destroyed by Seljuk Persians in 1145-6, the main church and other facilities were successively reconstructed in larger scale between the 12th and 14th centuries.

 

It became a great monastery complex, and the number of the buildings reached twenty. Dadi Vank prospered in the 15th and 16th centuries, but due to the subsequent Persian rule and famines devastated it. After long abandonment the monastery was entirely repaired in the latter half of the 20th century.
The eastern half of the complex is the church area, while western half the residential area. Compared with European monastery architecture, this lacks a planned nature, showing no special ingenuity in the layout.
The largest church is that of St Thaddeus on the north, a single-nave basilica from the 9th or 12th century with the roof lost. When I visited, it was being reconstructed rather than repaired. Its frontal Gavit from 1224 could be unfinished, surmounted with a dome, looking very old. There are two large stone panels for Khachkars inside.

 

The middle-scale church standing at the eastern end of the precincts is the main church, namely, the Katoghike (Cathedral) built in 1214. It is a perfectly completed Armenian church with a conical roof on the dome. Its drum is ornamented with 14-blind arches decorated with meticulous carvings. On its eastern wall is a sculpture of the King Arzu Khatoun�fs sons donating a model of this church.
In the southern area across a small church with tiled roof are a library, a hall of Takar, and a refectory, all of which are from the 13th century on the whole. The buildings in the eastern residential area have been severely damaged into ruins.

Plan of the Dadi Vank
(From "Armenian Art" Jean-Michel Thiery, Patrick Donabedian, 1987)
Church-A : St. Thaddeus, 9c. Gavit, 1224, Bell Tower, 13c. B : Cathedral, 1214,
C : Small Church, D : Chapel, Portico, 13c. Library, 13c. Takar, 1211, Refectory 13c.

 

On the way back to Stepanakert from Dadi Vank, I dropped in the ruins of Karmir Vank. It seems to have been once a large monastery, it remains a few nowadays.

Gandzasar Vank built in the early 13th century is located about 40km northwest of Stepanakert, 1.5km from the village of Gandzasar. It has an altitude of approximately 1,300m on a wooded hill, not being ruins but a working monastery. Since it was a remote place deep in the mountains with difficiulty of access, it did not suffer the Mongolian aggressions or by others, being able to survive. The church is the seat of archbishop of Artsagh, dedicated to Surp Hovhannes Mkrtich (St John the Baptist). The church was erected between 1232 and 1238 by Prince Hasan Jalal-Dawla, the ruler of Khachen region, and was consecrated in 1240.

PLAN of the Gandzasar Vank (From "Documenti 17. Gandzasar" Adriano Alpago-Novello)

The domed church is based on the cruciform plan with four two-story corner rooms. Its outer form is a complete rectangle, each face of which has two triangular niches like other churches of the 13th century. Sculptural decorations are elaborately given all over the church, especially on the 16-agonal drum under the umbrella-type roof. Its 16 faces are partitioned with bundled pilasters of three half columns, influenced by Haricha Vank in Harich.
The Gavit was donated in 1261 by Hasan and his wife and son. The independent columns are not four but two, which support crossed arches like in the gavit of Haghpat Vank. At the center of the ceiling is a Muqarnas top-light, over which stands a belfry on the roof.

The spacious flat precincts are encircled with solid walls in a square shape, outside of which is the graveyard of natural configuration of the ground. The large arched opening facing it was the main entrance to the Vank. The name Gandzasar means 'Treasure Mountain', which was derived from silver deposits in this region.
On the eastern side of the premises were built priest's house and other rooms in line in the 17th century, and a two-storied school on the eastern side in the 19th century. The repair of the church took place in 1991 and it is one of the most exquisite churches in Armenia.

 

 

Stepanakert was called Vararakn in the middle ages and has now become the capital of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabagh) Republic, still being a tranquil city with a population of only 55,000. It is a mountainous green city with a mountain range of Mrovdag, the highest point of which is 3,724 meters, on the north. Its modern name Khankendi was altered to Stepanakert, having to do with the Armenian revolutionary, Stepan Shaumyan in 1923. It is said that the Armenian architect Alexandr Tamanian made the city plan in 1926, but its detail is not known.

  

The basilica of the Tzitzerna Vank was first built in the 4th century, and repaired or improved in the 5th and 7th centuries. As if being a fortified monastery, its premises were surrounded with ramparts in the 17th century. Once there were many buildings there, one of which still remains as ruins at the southern edge, being thought to have been a refectory.
The basilica was made of beige tufa for the upper part and dark gray basalt for the lower part. Not knowing whether intended to do so to enhance the structure against earthquakes in making upper part lighter in the so old days, its outer walls have been well preserved, whereas its roof was lost. The roof was entirely repaired recently.

   

______________________Plan of the Tzitzerna Vank ______(From "Architettura Armena" Paolo Cuneo, Deluca Editore)

As for its interior, it is curious that the positions of pilasters on the north side wall are displaced from the inner pillars' axes. Impressively, over the half dome of the apse is an arcade of three arches as an early Christian church building. There are some remains of murals on walls and pillars.
Tzitzerna Vank means Swallow Monastery. Since swallows were worshipped since before the advent of Christianity in Armenia, this basilica is thought to have been erected on the place of a pagan temple.