Yerevman Sourb Khach Church :: ARMENIAN HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

The Armenian Highland, the Homeland of Armenians

Church

Yerevman Sourb Khach Church 10 — 11 cc․

Georgia / Javakhk / Akhalkalak / Khorenia

Historical Introduction

The church of Yerevman Sourb Khach (Holy Cross of the Apparition, as translated from Armenian), also known by the name of Sourb Hovhannes Karapet, i.e. St. John the Baptist, represents a uni-nave vaulted basilica (exterior dimensions: 13.65 x 6.6 metres) entirely built of finely-dressed stone. It goes back to the 10th to 11th centuries, and primarily belonged to the Byzantine faith. The Armenian resettlers from Karin who took up living in the devastated village site in the 1830s repaired the sanctuary, which started serving them as a parish church by the name of Sourb Hovhannes Karapet.

Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 457։ Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 255-256.

1850 y․

From the 1850s onwards, archive documents mention it as bearing the name of Yerevman Sourb Khach—this comes to suggest that it underwent another stage of renovation between the 1830s and 1850s and was consequently blessed again.

Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3830։ Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 256.

Architectural Description

The church functioned until the first years of the establishment of the Soviet rule. In the south, it is adjoined by another, smaller church, which dates back to almost the same period.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 256.

Lapidary Inscriptions
1896 y․

I. Rostomashvili, who visited Khorenia in 1896, deciphered several inscriptions in the Georgian Mesropian script which were preserved on the walls of the local church. The first of them, which follows below, is the largest both by dimensions and contents. It is engraved on a slab of stone placed on the roof of the sanctuary. As alleged by I. Rostomashvili, the Armenians deliberately moved this inscribed stone to the church roof during their “appropriation” of the monument.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 257.

Inscription, Georgian Mesropian, Engraved, Commemoration

ოდეს თათ(ა)რთა…ყ[ოველი?] ქ(ვე)ყ(ანაჲ) წა[აგვარ]თო მისგ(ა)ნ და[უმთავრე?]ბ(ე)ლნი კ(ა)რის ბჭ(ე)ნი... მე ჩოგა გავათავენ. ვ(ი)ნცა... ნახვიდეთ მოგჳ[გ]ონ(ე)ბდ(ე)თ ოცდა ჩჳდმეტი ათასი თეთრი ქათ(ა)ლ(ი)კ(ო)ზ(ის)ა და მეფისა ვ... ხორით...? Transl.: When the Tatars conquered the entire country, I, Choga, completed its [unfinished?] doors. May those who see this remember about the 37 thousand tetries allocated [to us] by the Catholicos and the King.

Published in: Ростомов И., Ахалкалакский уезд в археологическом отношении.– Сборник Материалов для Описания Местностей и Племен Кавказа, вып. XXV, 1898, էջ 121: Такайшвили Е., Археологическая экспедиция 1971-го года в южные провинции Грузии, Тбилиси, 1952, էջ 31: ცისკარიშვილი ვ., idem, pp. 60-61: “ჯავახეთი. ისტორიულ-ხუროთმოძღვრული გზამკვლევი”, p. 39: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 257. Misreading: I. Rostomashvili has ქვეყანაი, ...ბოლონი კარის ბჭენი, მოგვიგონებდეთ, ჩვიდმეტი, ...ქათალიკოზისა და მეფესა... “ჯავახეთი. ისტორიულ-ხუროთმოძღვრული გზამკვლევი” offers: ქუჱყანაჲ, წაგუართო, მოგვიგონებდეთ, კათალიკოზსა, მეფეს ვმსახურეთ. Note: V. Tsiskarishvili re-published the inscription on the basis of a copy made by I. Rostomashvili and the corrections offered by E. Taghayshvili. Taking into account the fact that as a rule, Rostomashvili’s copies of inscriptions do not reflect their exact line divisions, we have published the present one without any symbols indicating each line distinctly. E. Taghayshvili is of the opinion that the Tatars, mentioned in the inscription, are the Seljuk Turks. Judging from this, he traces back the events spoken about in it to the times of King Bagrat IV (1027 to 1072 ). V. Tsiskarishvili, however, does not accept this dating, for according to him, the Seljuks were never called Tatars in Georgian historiography; besides, the ethnonym of Tatar is not used before the times of Mongol invasions. He holds the view that the events commemorated in the inscription should be attributed to the period of Mongol incursions and, therefore, the inscription itself should be traced back to the 13th century. The editorial staff of “ჯავახეთი. ისტორიულ-ხუროთმოძღვრული გზამკვლევი” accepts V. Tsiskarishvili’s dating.

Type Copied Lapidary Inscription
View Exterior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Graphical Drawing

Inscription, Georgian Mesropian, Engraved, Commemoration

Engraved below a window having a circular crown and opening from the southern wall of one of the annexes of the church:
ქ(რისტ)ე შ(ეიწყალ)ე გ(იორგ)ი მ(ო)ნა შ(ე)ნი. Transl.: Christ, may You have mercy upon Your servant Giorgi.

Published in: Ростомов И., Ахалкалакский уезд в археологическом отношении.– Сборник Материалов для Описания Местностей и Племен Кавказа, вып. XXV, 1898, стр. 122. Такайшвили Е., Археологическая экспедиция 1971-го года в южные провинции Грузии, Тбилиси, 1952, стр. 32. Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 258.

Type Copied Lapidary Inscription
View Exterior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Graphical Drawing

Inscription, Georgian Mesropian, Engraved, Commemoration

A three-line inscription in hardly intelligible Georgian Mesropian characters is preserved at the western corner of the cornice of the southern facade of the aforementioned annex:
სახ(ელი)თა ღ(მრთისაჲ)თა ესე | ... ეგგ? ...|... Transl.: In the name of God, this...

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 258-259.

Type Copied Lapidary Inscription
View Exterior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Graphical Drawing

Type Photo
View Detail
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1988 — 1989 yy․

Type Copied Lapidary Inscription
View Exterior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Graphical Drawing

Inscription, Georgian Mesropian, In Painted Characters, Commemoration 1029 y․

Engraved with characters in red paint above the western entrance of the annex:
[ჯ(უარ)ი ქ(რისტ)ესი] | ქ(რისტ)ე, ად(ი)დ(ე) Þ მელქიზ(ე)დეკ ქართლისა | კ(ა)თალ(ი)კოზი ორთა[ვ]ე შ(ინ)[ა] | ცხო[რ(ე)ბ(ა)თა], ა(მი)ნ. | [ქ(რონი)კ(ო)ნი იყო სმთ]. Transl.: Christ, may You glorify Catholicos of Kartli Melkisedek in both lives. Amen. Year 249 of the Chronicon (1029).

Published in: Ростомов И., Ахалкалакский уезд в археологическом отношении.– Сборник Материалов для Описания Местностей и Племен Кавказа, вып. XXV, 1898, стр. 122: Такайшвили Е., Археологическая экспедиция 1971-го года в южные провинции Грузии, Тбилиси, 1952, стр. 32: ბერძენიშვილი ნ., idem, p. 106. Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 259-260. Note: Catholicos of Kartli Melkisedek I held throne between 1010 and 1033. In his days, viz. in 1010 to 1029, Metskhet’s famous cathedral of Svetistskhoveli was built.

Type Copied Lapidary Inscription
View Exterior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Graphical Drawing

Relief, Cross Relief

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 255.

Type Photo
View Exterior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1988 — 1989 yy․

An ornate window fragment

Type Measurement
View Exterior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Sketch

Type Photo
View Exterior
Direction From the north-west
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1988 — 1989 yy․

Type Photo
View Partial view
Direction From the south
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1988 — 1989 yy․

Type Photo
View Exterior
Direction From the north-east
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1988 — 1989 yy․

Type Photo
View Exterior
Direction From the north
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1988 — 1989 yy․

Type Photo
View Exterior
Direction From the north-west
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1988 — 1989 yy․

Type Photo
View Detail
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1988 — 1989 yy․

The entrance tympanum of Yerevman Sourb Khach (Holy Cross of the Apparition) Church

Type Photo
View Exterior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1988 — 1989 yy․

The entrance tympanum of the annexe adjoining Yerevman Sourb Khach (Holy Cross of the Apparition) Church

Name	Year/Century	Etymology
St. John the Baptist