Sourb Hambardzum (Holy Ascension) Armenian Chalcedonian church

Sourb Hambardzum (Holy Ascension) Armenian Chalcedonian church 964 y․

Georgia / Javakhk / Akhalkalak / Kumurdo

Historical Introduction
964 y․

One of the most remarkable and architecturally significant monuments of Javakhk, the church of Sourb Hambardzum (Holy Ascension), which primarily belonged to the Greek faith, is located in Kumurdo. It was founded by Bishop Hovhannes in 964, its construction continuing until the first quarter of the 11th century.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 315.

Description

It represents a central-domed cruciform church whose architectural peculiarities are discussed in a great number of research works. As of 2006, it was in a semi-ruined state, with its dome and the roof of its western cross wing collapsed.

Северов Н., Чубинашвили Г., Кумордо и Никорцминда, Москва, 1947, стр. 5-16: ბერიძე ვ., კუმურდოს ტაძარი 1000 წლისაა, ”ძეგლის მეგობარი”, 1964, N 2, էջ 25-27: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 315.

The territory of the church retains a large number of broken cross-stones dating from at least the 15th century and showing that an Armenian cemetery used to extend on this spot in the Middle Ages. These stone monuments also indirectly indicate that by the aforementioned period, Sourb Hambardzum had already been re-consecrated as an Armenian Apostolic sanctuary and functioned as such.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 315.

1830 y․

The Armenian resettlers from Karin Province who took up residence in this ancient village site in the 1830s found its church derelict and semi-destroyed, with only the walls of its western cross wing still preserved standing. They repaired it, covered it with a wooden roof, dedicated it to the Holy Ascension on permission granted by the spiritual authorities and started using it as a parish church. In the 1860s, the Georgian clergy started a dispute over the true owners of the sanctuary, declaring that the Armenians had appropriated it. The Synod of Echmiatzin, which interfered in this matter, received the following explanation from the Armenian Consistory of Georgia and Imeret: “...even today the splendid church of Gyumyurta stands ruined and neglected. The Armenians have appropriated only its western part, where they have built a church for themselves...” The sanctuary remained in the same state until the establishment of the Soviet regime. Nevertheless, its western cross wing remains as an Armenian parish church in accordance with its very last consecration.

Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 56, ց. 1, գ. 306, թ. 13։ «Արձագանք», 1885, N 3, էջ 41։ Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 315-320.

Lapidary Inscriptions

The walls of Sourb Hambardzum Church are engraved with a spate of valuable inscriptions in the Georgian Mesropian script.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 320.

Inscription, Georgian Mesropian, Embossed, Commemoration 964 y․

A single line in the original of the inscription finely and regularly carved in large embossed characters on the eastern facade of the church:
ქ(რისტ)ე, შ(ეი)წ(ყალ)ე ჲოვ(ა)ნე ებ(ის)კ(ოპო)სი ამ(ი)სი მ(ა)შ(ჱ)ნ(ე)ბ(ე)ლი დღ(ე)სა მ(ა)ს. Transl.: Christ, may You have mercy upon Bishop Iovane, its builder on that day.