Karmravor

Name: Karmravor
Monument type: Church-Monastic Complex
Region: Aragatsotn Province
Periods: Medieval

Name: Karmravor

Other nomination: St. Astvatsatsin / Holy Mother of Karmravor

Monument type: Church

Region: Aragatsotn

Community: Ashtarak

Residence: Ashtarak town

Location: Northeastern part of Ashtarak, right side of the Kasagh gorge, on the hill.

Preservation: Completely preserved

Coordinates: 40°17´59.0˝N 44°21´55.7˝E

Altitude: 1160 m

Era and chronology: Early medieval monument, continuously functioned until the 19th century, VII-XIX centuries.

Karmravor: A 7th Century Small Gem of Immense Divinity

As you stand in front of the venerable Karmravor Church, you are about to embark on a journey through time and heritage.

Despite its small size, this early medieval monument exudes an imposing and majestic aura that elevates it to the realm of the sacred. This enchanting monument beckons you to explore its captivating story—one that intertwines history, spirituality, and the enduring legends of Armenia.

Get ready for a journey that marvels at your eyes, speaks to the innermost depths of your spirit, and feeds your soul with the mystical yet heartbreaking tale of the three sisters who sacrificed themselves in the name of love and faith.

Nestled in the serene embrace of the Aragatsotn region, in the northeastern part of Ashtarak, Armenia, stands the 7th century haven that is the Karmravor Church. Known by many names, including St. Astvatsatsin and the Holy Mother of Karmravor, this church is a jewel of the early medieval era, a living testament to Armenia’s rich cultural heritage.

At an elevation of 1160 meters, Karmravor presides over the landscape with an air of grace and unyielding resilience. Its origins shrouded in mystery, the church’s very name, “Karmravor,” translates to “Reddish,” a symbolic nod to one of the epithets of the Mother of God. This church, unlike any other, has weathered the centuries with a remarkable preservation of its original form, from its foundation to the distinctive tiled roof crowning the dome.

History whispers through its stone walls. Records reveal that the church was erected by Yeranos’ son David and Grigor and Manase’s sons, prominent figures in Ashtarak town. Their legacy endures, as Karmravor continued to serve as a spiritual sanctuary throughout the developed and Late Middle Ages.

The Karmravor Church is not just a relic; it’s a rarity. Its architectural style, unique to Armenia, showcases an array of small cruciform churches from the 7th century. The precise date of its inception remains elusive, but its architectural features, fresco decorations, and construction records all point to the church’s creation in the midst of the 7th century.

Karmravor’s roof is a masterpiece in itself, a fusion of flat and semi-round tiles adorned with crisscrossed gables and life tree imagery. Inside, frescoes narrate a celestial story—Christ in glory, surrounded by saints from across Christendom. Some have suffered the deliberate erasure of faces and hands, likely during iconographic shifts. On the western transept, two Armenian army officers, St. Gevorg and St. Sargis, stand tall with inscriptions echoing their valor.

This church stands out among other monuments, as it has undergone no external transformations, from its foundation to the tiled roof of its dome. This type of monument, the Karmravor, exhibits a diversity unparalleled in any other country, with Armenia being its primary showcase. While a few exist in Georgia, they are predominantly found within tomb and baptistery compositions in Byzantine architecture.

But Karmravor’s tale doesn’t end with bricks and mortar. For much of its existence, it was a nunnery, with the last vestiges of this era represented by Hripsime and her devoted student Shoghakat. St. Virgin Hripsime found her eternal resting place in the church’s courtyard, marked by a tombstone adorned with poetic elegance.

Shoghakat’s departure marked a turning point in Karmravor’s history, as it transformed into a place of pilgrimage until 1860 when a wooden chapel was constructed for parishioners. In 1954, the chapel met its end, but Karmravor’s original beauty was lovingly restored under H. Gasparyan’s expert guidance.

The church’s surroundings tell stories of their own. Cross-stones and tombstones, dating from the 12th to the 19th centuries, scatter the landscape. Masterpieces like Sarkis’ cross-stone from 1184 and Gamrikel Azizbekyan’s stone from 1426 demand attention, weaving a rich tapestry of Armenian history.

Gevorg Emin, a 20th-century writer and poet, rests in the church’s northwest yard, adding a modern chapter to Karmravor’s legacy.

Yet, amidst this rich history and architectural splendor, Karmravor’s tale is interwoven with legend. The poignant story of three sisters and their love for a young man named Sarkis gave birth to not one, but three churches on the edge of a valley—Karmravor, Tsiranavor, and Spitakavor. It’s a testament to the enduring power of love and sacrifice.

FACTS

❈ Karmravor Church, situated in Ashtarak, Armenia, is a 7th-century architectural gem that stands as a testament to the country’s rich cultural heritage.

❈ This church, also known as St. Astvatsatsin and the Holy Mother of Karmravor, is distinguished by its remarkable preservation from foundation to the tiled roof.

❈ It boasts a unique architectural style, characterized by small cruciform churches, likely built in the 7th century, and features well-preserved frescoes inside.

❈ Karmravor has a storied history as a nunnery, with Hripsime’s tomb in its courtyard, and later transformed into a place of pilgrimage.

❈ The church’s surroundings are adorned with cross-stones and tombstones, including notable pieces from various centuries, and it is the resting place of the
20th-century poet Gevorg Emin.

❈ The legend of three sisters and their love for a man named Sarkis gave rise to not one, but three nearby churches, including Karmravor, symbolizing enduring love
and sacrifice.

Research history

Shahkhatunyants (19th century register), E. Shahaziz (source scholar-historian, philologist at the beginning of XX century), V. Grigoryan (architect-historian 1982), H. Gasparyan (restoration architect, 1954), S. Saghumyan (lithographer 1998) K. Lamoureux, A. Zaryan (mural restoration specialists, 2016).

Archaeological description

Location

It is located on a raised platform surrounded by an enclosure. The Karmravor Church is in the center surrounded by the cemetery with the 12-19th century sculpture cross-stones and tombstones.

Stratigraphy

Karmavor is one of the most famous structures among the 7th century small cruciform churches. The name Karmravor-Reddish has a symbolic meaning, which is connected with one of the epithets of Mother of God.

The exact date of the church foundation is not known. According to the architectural features, the fresco decorations and the inscription of the construction record, the church dates back to the halves of the 7th century.

Based on the record of construction enclosing the church, it was built by the administrative and spiritual elders of Ashtarak town – Yeranos’ son David and Grigor and Manase’s sons.

The inscriptions related to the renovation and donations, as well as the records on the cross-stones and tombstones spread around the church claim that the church continuously functioned in the developed and Late Middle Ages.

In the 14th century, the church was enclosed. According to the entrance inscription it was built by Asnavor and his wife Ghutalchak under the patronage of Aghbugha and Sitikhatun Zakaryans. The enclosure was built of unprocessed limestone and underwent partial renovations in the XX century.

In the Late Middle Ages until 1813 Karmravor was a nun monastery, the last virgins of which were Hripsime and her student Shoghakat. The tomb of St. Virgin Hripsime is in the courtyard of Karmravor, with a tombstone written in a poetic style. After Shoghakat left the monastery, Karmravor was a place of pilgrimage until 1860, when a wooden chapel was built for the parishioners. In 1954 it was demolished and the original appearance of Karmravor was restored under H. Gasparyan’s leadership.

The cross-stones and tombstones around the church date back to the 12th-19th centuries. Among them the cross-stones of master Sarkis (1184) and Ashtarak village handmaiden Husami (13th century), Gamrikel Azizbekyan’s crosstone erected in 1426 on the staircase leading to Karmvor deserve attention. The latter is called Hazakhach by the people. XX century writer, poet Gevorg Emin is buried in the yard located in the northwest of the church.

Architecture

Karmravor is the only one among the small central-domed churches with a cruciform plan inside and out, which has come into us in a completely preserved form, without significant changes, and with an original tiled roof. The main volume, built of hewn brown tuff stones, stands on a single-level low plinth. The interior composition consists of three rectangular and eastern semi-circular transepts, butted by semi-circular pillars. The only entrance opens in the western transept.

The sloping cornices of the main volume are elaborated with a woven ornament motif, and the cornices of the dome square and drum are decorated with a horizontal row of stylized foliage. The crowns of the windows of the main volume are decorated with geometrical and plant ornaments. The roof covering is made with a combination of flat and semi-round tiles. The semi-circular tiles crowning the edges of the roof are ended with crisscrossed gables, some are with the life tree image.

The main tabernacle and the walls of the western transept are decorated with frescoes inside. In the dome of the main tabernacle, on a starry blue background, is depicted the scene “Christ in glory”, with the saints of the pan-Christian and Armenian churches below. To the right of the window are the “three great Cappadocians”, and to the left is Gregory the Illuminator and probably the remnant of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr painting. The hands and faces of the Church

Fathers were deliberately destroyed at one time probably during iconography. On the western side of the transept army officers St. Gevorg and St. Sargis are depicted with appropriate inscriptions.

Significance

In fact, Karmravor is the only monument with no transformation in its external forms, from the foundation to the tile roof of the dome. Karmravor type of monuments have not been spread and shown such a diversity in any country as in Armenia. There are not many of them in Georgia, they appeared exclusively in tomb and baptistery compositions in Byzantine architecture.

📜 Traditional legends

“Three sisters living in a tower fall in love with a young man named Sarkis. In order to bring happiness to the younger sister, the elder sisters sacrifice themselves and throw themselves into the abyss, wearing an apricot and red dress. Upon learning the news, the youngest sister puts on a white dress and throws herself into the valley as well, and Sarkis becomes a hermit out of the bitter grief. Later three churches appear on the edge of the valley: Karmravor, Tsiranavor and Spitakavor.

Sources

Literature

Lamughe K., Zaryan A., 2017-2018, Re-creation of the murals of the Karmravor Church, Monument Yearbook, ZB-ZHG, pp. 122-142.
History of Armenian architecture 2004, (edited by: M.M. Hasratyan) tome 3, Yerevan, “Science”, 346 pages.
Shahaziz Yer. 1987, History of Ashtarak, Yerevan, “Armenia”, 251 pages.
Saghumyan S. 1998, Ashtarak. Historical occurrences, monuments, lithographic inscriptions, Yerevan, “Science”, 346 pages.

List of monuments

Aragatsotn 2.1/15