SEARCH SYSTEM OF THE ARMENIAN HIGHLAND MONUMENTS

Saghamo 10 Monuments

Georgia (Country) / Javakhk (District) / Akhalkalak (District) / Saghamo (Village)

Location

Saghamo is situated on the left bank of the river Parvana (at the point where it merges into Lake Saghamo), 3 kilometres south of Gandza Village, 15 kilometres north-east of the district centre of Ninotzminda, 25 kilometres south-east of Akhalkalak in a straight line, between 2,000 and 2,050 metres of altitude above sea level.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 443.

Historical Introduction
13 — 14 cc․

The time-span between the 13th and 14th centuries marked a period of particular development and prosperity for Saghamo. This is attested by the three churches standing not far from each other in the territory of the village.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 443.

1595 y․

The Turkish tax list of 1595 mentions Saghamo as comprising no rayas in its population and paying 6,500 akches to the State Treasury.

”გურჯისტანის ვილაიეთის დიდი დავთარი”,էջ 234: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 443.

In the pre-Soviet years, it represented a purely Turkish village belonging to Hasan and Pasha Aghas & Company: “These Aghas keep a large number of sheep... and in the mean-time, are constantly busy stealing animals from the villages of Satkha and Gandza.”

«Նոր-Դար», 1888, N 208, էջ 3: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 443.

Population
1860 y․

In the 1860s, Saghamo had 33 houses, including only a single Armenian one with 6 males and 6 females, all the others being inhabited by Turks.

Сборник материалов для описания Тифлисской губернии, т. 1, вып. 1, Тифлис, 1870, стр. 32. Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 443.

1880 y․

The other available records relating to the population of the village are as follows: 56 Turkish houses (with 244 males and 205 females), and 2 Armenian ones (with 6 males and 8 females) in the 1880s.

Լալայան Ե., Երկեր, հ. 1, Երևան, 1983, էջ 65-66: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 443.

1926 y․

In 1926 Saghamo had 99 houses with 646 inhabitants, including only 12 Armenians (the rest were Turks).

Արոյան Ս., Բեկորներ Մշո ջոջ քարի, Երևան, 1997, էջ 123: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 443.

1944 y․

After the banishment of the Turks in 1944, Saghamo was inhabited by several Armenian families from the neighbouring overpopulated villages. The resettlers who were from Tzaghki, Kerjnkots, Jinis and Sogyutlu Villages, Karin Province turned it into a prospering village of purely Armenian ethnic make-up.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 443.

Name Origin

Saghamo is the Georgian equivalent for Evening. Formerly, both the village and the lake were called Uma or Duma (the lake was known as Umangyol).

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 443.

Monuments

All the three churches of Saghamo (one of them is situated at the northern extremity of the village, the other at its southern edge, and the third one in its centre) represent uni-nave vaulted monuments built of entirely finely-finished stone and mortar. Primarily, all the three of them belonged to the Chalcedonian faith, but despite this fact, they are distinguished for some features that are typical of Apostolic sanctuaries. Thus, they have elevated bemas—a peculiarity alien to Chalcedonian monuments—and do not retain graves in their interior parts, which suggests that burials were banned in their prayer halls. Instead, graves are found in the yards of these sanctuaries in accordance with the ritual of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 444-445.

19 c․

I. Rostomashvili, who visited Saghamo in the last quarter of the 19th century, found two almost totally distorted inscriptions in the Georgian Mesropian script preserved on the walls of this church.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 448.

Type Photo
View Exterior
Direction From the north-west
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Colour Negative
Date 1988 — 1989 yy․