St. Stepanos Church :: ARMENIAN HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

St. Stepanos Church 1308 y․

Georgia / Javakhk / Akhalkalak / Ekhtila

Historical Introduction
1308 y․

As confirmed by some Georgian Mesropian inscriptions preserved on the walls of St. Stepanos Church, it was built in 1308 by the local inhabitants who had apparently embraced the Chalcedonian faith, but still remained loyal to the ancient customs accepted in the Armenian Apostolic Church. This is well evident from the features of the sanctuary which are typical of Armenian Apostolic churches—the elevated bema, the absence of graves inside it and their abundance around it. St. Stepanos Church originally belonged to the Byzantine faith, but it turned into an Apostolic one not later than the 16th century. The Armenian cemetery which extends in the yard of the church abounds in tombstones of the 15th to 18th centuries.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 180.

1830 y․

St. Stepanos Church was again consecrated by the Armenian resettlers of Karin who took up living in the devastated Armenian village site in the 1830s.

Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 56, ց. 1, թ. 13։ Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 180.

1898 y․

By 1898 (on the eve of the earthquake of 19 December 1899), the monument had appeared in such a state of disrepair that “...the authorities closed the Armenian church of Ekhtila Village of this district, for it was on the verge of collapse and could bury many people beneath its ruins.” The earthquake came to damage the sanctuary even further so that it finally found itself in an emergency condition. The studies conducted in 1900 showed that “...it is no longer possible to renovate our old church, for the earthquake has demolished it up to its very foundations. Moreover, its eastern and western parts are totally destroyed, but even if we decide to found a new church, we cannot afford to do so, for the local people are hardly able to rebuild their houses which have been levelled with the ground by the earthquake. Now all of us are waiting for the support of the Committee to [re]construct the church and the houses.”

«Նոր-Դար», 1898, N18, էջ 2։ Мушкетов И., Материалы по ахалкалакскому землетрясению 19-ого декабря 1899 г., “Труды Геологоческаго комитета”, Новая серия, вып 1, СПБ, 1903, էջ 27-28։ Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3356, թ. 6։ Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 180-181.

Architectural Description

St. Stepanos represents a cruciform church—a composition that can rarely be found in Javakhk—but it does not have a dome like numerous other medieval (5th to 7th centuries) churches of Armenia having the same plan. The monument, which is entirely built of finely-dressed stone, has the following exterior dimensions: 12.12 x 9.72 metres.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 182.

Repairs

Eventually, in the course of several years, the villagers overcame their financial difficulties and repaired the sanctuary, which resumed service as a parish church.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 181-182.

Inscription, Georgian Mesropian, Engraved, Commemoration 1308 y․

The cornice of the southern facade of the church is engraved with a two-line inscription:
†. გათავდა ქვეშელისა ლ(ი)პ(ა)რ(იტ)ის ცოლისა და თმოგოჳელთა ქა|ლისა რო(ჳ)სო(ჳ)დანისაგან, შ(ეუნდუე)ნ ღ(მერთმა)ნ. ქ(რონი)კ(ო)ნი იყო ფკჱ (528 թ.). ჭო(ჳ)რვანის ძესა ი(ოვა)ნეს შ(ეუნდუე)ნ ღ(მერთმა)ნ. Transl.: Completed by the Tmogvetsies’ daughter Rusudan, the spouse of Liparit Kveshtsy. May God have mercy. 528 (1308) of the Chronicon. May the Lord have mercy upon Jurvan’s son Iovane.