Sevanavank Monestary

Sevanavank Monastery: Historical Significance

Sevanavank Monastery has played a crucial role in Armenian history, in fact, it has served as a place for battle. Its location and the fact that it was then completely surrounded by water made it a good strategic shelter for Armenian King Ashot II (also known as Ashot Erkat, “Erkat” meaning “Iron”). The battle was between the Armenian forces led by Gevorg Marzpetuni (also a famous character in Armenian literature) and Arab army led by commander Bashir. The battle was won by the Armenian forces that included both soldiers and monks.

It’s interesting to note that Armenia was under Arab rule during the construction of Sevanavank Monastery. For this reason there were many religious disputes, in which the monastery played an important role.

Sevanavank Monastery: The Churches

Sevanavank Monastery is comprised of two churches, Surb Arakelots (Holy Apostles) and Surb Astvatsamayr (Holy Mother of God). The architecture of both churches is almost the same; they are made of black tuff in the form of a cross. Surb Astvatsamayr Church used to preserve the most important gifts to the monastery, including 200 manuscripts, 400 printed books, jewelry, crosses, and many other items. Some inscriptions dating back to the 9th century are still preserved on Surb Arakelots Church. The wooden door of this church is particularly worth attention, as it dates back to the 15th century and its carvings prove the brilliance of medieval Armenian art.

In 1930s both churches were closed down. Today, only Surb Arakelots Church is open to public.

The gavit was originally decorated with wooden columns with beautiful carvings. Some of the remains of this gavit can now be found in Yerevan State Museum of History and in State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

A narrow path leads to the ruins of another church-like construction, which was supposedly built later than the two churches.

Both churches were reconstructed in 1950s.

Sevanavank Monastery: Khatchkars

The entrance of the church is decorated with dozens of khatchkars (cross-stones). The peculiarity of these cross-stones, that are different from those spread all over and outside of Armenia, is the stone that bears the design. In most of the cases, Armenian cross-stones are made of tuff, a very popular stone in this country. In case of Sevanavank Monastery, the carvings are made on local stones that have a light greenish coloring as compared to reddish tuff.

Sevanavank Monastery: The Legend

One of the most popular legends about Lake Sevan and Sevanavank Monastery is the following. During the battle between Armenians and Arabs, King Ashot Erkat was on the island. His soldiers were too few in comparison with the Arab army. Even with many monks and fishermen who joined their King, Arabs kept being more in number. Then Ashot Erkat spoke to one of his wise fishermen and asked for advice. The fisherman lived there for years and knew the peculiarities of weather well. He advised the King to attack the Arabs early in the morning when the sun just starts to rise. The King followed the advice, and led his soldiers in boats towards the Arabs. The sun was behind the Armenian forces and, therefore, blinded the Arabs. Armenians managed to win the battle, after which the lake was full of Arab soldiers. Because of the dead bodies and their uniforms, the lake looked black. Hence, the name Sevan.

Sevanavank Monastery: The Peninsula

Back then the peninsula used to be an island. During the time when Armenia was part of the USSR, considerable amount of water was drained from Sevan. As a result of this, the water level dropped by 20m, leaving the monastery reachable from land. Today, the Armenian government is trying to increase the level of water again. This means that a lot of buildings and constructions, which mainly include hotels and guesthouses spread on shores of the lake, will go under the water, and the peninsula will become an island again.

The long staircase takes visitors up to the top of the peninsula. There are souvenir booths at the bottom of the stairs, while you can see paintings and hand-made jewelry sellers on your way up.

Sevanavank Monastery: Lifestyle

The lifestyle and conduct inside the monastery have been one of the strictest ones in the history of Armenians. One of the reasons for such attitude were the monks of Ejmiatsin, who were sent here by the order of His Holiness because of committing a sin. According to some legends, this is why the lake is called Sevan (“Sev” meaning “Black”). Another version for the name of the lake is connected to the churches, which are constructed of black tuff.

Reports about the code of conduct of Sevanavank Monastery were provided by such explorers as Jean-Marie Chopin. The code of conduct of the monks serving in Sevanavank Monastery was based on 9 rules of Barsegh Kesaretsi and 7 rules of Sargis Saghmosavanetsi.

Sevanavank Monastery: Vazgenian Theological Academy

Vazgenian Theological Academy is also located on the peninsula, not too far away from Sevanavank Monastery. The Academy was founded in 1990 and named after His Holiness Vazgen A. It works under the direct supervision of the Mother See of Holy Ejmiatsin and belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church. You cannot enter the academy, but you can notice the black building on your way up to the monastery.

Sevanavank is one of the most popular places of interest in Armenia. It’s a very unique complex that attracts thousands of tourists annually and is on the list of must-see attractions of Armenia.