Sisavank Saint John Church of Sisian

Name: St. Hovhannes church of Sisian
Monument type: Church- Monastic Complex
Region: Syunik Province
Periods: Medieval

Name։ St. Hovhannes church of Sisian

Other nomination։ Syunik Cathedral

Monument type։ Church

Region։ Syunik

Community։ Sisian

Residence։ Sisian town

Location։ Located in the north-western part of the Sisian city, on a promontory.

Preservation։ The structure is fully preserved, it is a functioning church.

Coordinates։ 39°31′ 42.20” N 46°01’03.34” E

Altitude։ 1620 m

Era and chronology։ The church dates back to the Early Middle Ages, VII century.

St. Hovhannes church of Sisian։
The Crown Jewel of Syunik

As you stand at the northwestern edge of the charming Sisian town in Armenia’s Syunik region, you’ll find yourself in a unique moment of connection with history and spirituality. As you walk closer to the hallowed grounds, the walls of the St. Hovhannes Church of Sisian beckons with a silent yet profound eloquence, their ancient stones bearing witness to the passage of time, faith, and artistry.
Amidst the hushed whispers of the wind, the church’s surroundings echo with the stories of the past, and you can almost hear the sounds of prayers, footsteps, and the faint echoes of a rich Armenian legacy.

This is where history, architecture, and devotion converge in a harmonious symphony, inviting you to step into a world where the sacred and the artistic intertwine, transcending the boundaries of time.

In the heart of Armenia’s Syunik region, perched at an elevation of 1620 meters on a promontory in the northwestern part of Sisian, the St. Hovhannes Church of Sisian, also known as the Syunik Cathedral, stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of Armenian architectural and artistic ingenuity.
This remarkable church, dating back to the Early Middle Ages in the VII century, is an architectural marvel that combines rich history, unique sculptures, and a spiritual aura that continues to captivate visitors.

Unlike many ancient monuments, St. Hovhannes Church remains fully preserved and, perhaps more impressively, is still a functioning church today. Its geographical prominence is matched only by its historical and artistic significance. The most captivating feature of this church is its monument sculptural decoration, which is unparalleled in its blend of diverse representations.

The church’s exteriors are adorned with a stunning array of sculptures, each imbued with unique meanings. Saints, spiritual figures, and secular personalities all find a place in this remarkable tableau. These sculptures are marked by their individual performance features and adherence to different pictorial rules, a testament to the artistic intricacies of their time.

The church’s architecture is a true marvel. It belongs to the “hripsime type” of Armenian monuments, and it is constructed with hewn, bluish basalt. The three-level foundation provides a solid base for the central domed composition, with quadrangular vaults at each corner. It boasts two entrances on the southern and western sides, welcoming all who seek spiritual solace.

Notably, the interior of the church has been impeccably preserved. At the apex of the church’s external niches, you’ll find heads extending almost round sculptures, with both human and animal representations. A woman with flowing hair and a necklace, a man in clerical attire, and a ram’s head are among the intriguing figures. These are complemented by a series of masks typical of Armenian and Georgian medieval art.

The dome itself is adorned with depictions of the four evangelists, each pointing to one of the world’s cardinal directions. Inscriptions below these sculptures reveal their identities: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. On the western facade, an inconspicuous sculpture, identified as “John the Ecclesiastic,” adds to the church’s spiritual allure.

Venturing inside, you’ll discover three striking sculptures. Two of them, located below the dome, are immediately visible to anyone entering the church. These sculptures are believed to be Syunyats Prince Kohazat and Syunyats Bishop Hovsep. Their faces are particularly emphasized, and the intricate details of their attire are meticulously rendered.

Prince Kohazat stands in a posture of prayer, his hands pointing toward the altar. Bishop Joseph, in his clerical attire, is depicted in a benedictory stance, holding a book. The third sculpture is Monk Theodoros, who similarly holds a book and an incense burner, reflecting simplicity in his grooming.

These sculptures are not randomly placed but deliberately arranged. Prince Kohazat stands at the center, flanked by the spiritual leaders, a powerful representation of faith and royalty intertwining.

The historical roots of St. Hovhannes Church are traced back through time, thanks to the writings of Stepanos Orbelyan, who ranks the Syuni Monastery as one of the spiritual treasures of Syunik. While the exact year of the church’s construction remains elusive, architectural and artistic analysis suggests that it was likely built in the VII century.

Traditional legends add another layer of intrigue to this church’s narrative. Originally named after St. Grigor, it was renamed St. Hovhannes based on an inscription on the western wall that reads “JOHANNES THE CHURCH.” This name change reflects a local adaptation of the church’s history, a testament to the enduring and evolving spirit of the Armenian people.

FACTS

❈ The St. Hovhannes Church of Sisian, also known as the Syunik Cathedral, is a testament to Armenian architectural and artistic ingenuity, dating back to the VII century.
❈ This fully preserved and functioning church, located in Armenia’s Syunik region, is renowned for its unique sculptural decoration featuring diverse representations, including saints, spiritual figures, and secular personalities.
❈ The church’s hewn, bluish basalt construction and “hripsime type” architecture with a three-level foundation and central domed composition make it a true marvel.
❈ The exterior sculptures include human and animal representations, while the dome features depictions of the four evangelists. Inside, sculptures of Syunyats Prince Kohazat, Syunyats Bishop Hovsep, and Monk Theodoros reflect the intertwining of faith and royalty.
❈ Steeped in history and legends, this church’s origins are believed to be in the VII century, and its name change from St. Grigor to St. Hovhannes reflects the evolving spirit of the Armenian people.

Research history

Stepanos Orbelyan ranks Syuni Monastery as the third among the spiritual structures of Syunik. The historian also writes that the princes built a royal house and a princely palace in front of the monastery, which have not been preserved. There are no reliable data on the year of the church construction, and based on the architectural and artistic forms, it dates to the VI-VII centuries. Later, based on the studies of the reliefs and lithographs preserved on the dome drum, the date of the construction was determined to be the 80-90s of the VII century (S. Mnatsakanyan). The monument renovation works were carried out in 1959-1962.

Archaeological description

Architecture
The church belongs to the “hripsime type” of monuments. It is built with hewn, bluish basalt, on a three-level foundation, it has a crossed, central domed composition with quadrangular vaults at the four corners. There are two entrances from the southern and western sides. One of the merits of the monument is its complete preservance on the inside. At the top of the church external niches, in the central part there are heads reaching the height of almost round sculptures (there are eight niches, two on each side, but not all the sculptures have been preserved).

These images include both human and animal heads. Among the human figures is an image of a woman with flowing hair and a necklace, the other one is a man’s face with a peaked hat similar to clerical attire. The other surviving sculpture is a ram’s head. The series of masks or “faces” typical to the Armenian and Georgian medieval art complement these images. The dome depicts the four evangelists with one hand raised, pointing to the four directions of the world. Directly below the sculptures, there are inscriptions showing the names of the Evangelists: Matthew on the western, Mark on the southern, Luke on the eastern, and John on the northern facades. On the western facade of the church, there is another barely noticeable sculpture: a man with his right hand raised, whose identity is revealed by the inscription: “John the Ecclesiastic”. It can probably be classified as one of the church’s tutelary sculptures, perhaps added a little later. The next set of sculptures is inside the church. Two of them are immediately below the dome, on its small north-eastern trompe, visible to anyone entering. The third sculpture is located at the top of the northern session of the drum. Based on the inscriptions, one of the sculptures is Syunyats Prince Kohazat, and the other two are Syunyats Bishop Hovsep and Monk Theodoros. These are undoubtedly the church patrons and sponsors. These sculptures are among the largest ones of theVII century. Faces are particularly emphasized in all the sculptures. Prince Kohazat is depicted standing up to the waist, upright, in the posture of a praying person, with his hands pointing towards the altar. The sculptor paid special attention to the clothes of the prince, elaborated in every detail. He is without a hat. The next sculpture, representing the spiritual leader Bishop Joseph from Syunik, is located on the next north-eastern trompe. The inscription is next to the images: it was blown from the left side, and the nose and eyes of the image were partially damaged. But overall the iconography is legible. As a representative of the spiritual class, Joseph has a headdress on his head with an image of a cross on the front. In the benedictor’s position, one hand leans on the book holding with the other hand. The third sculpture in the upper part of the northern session is also endowed with such individual features. According to the inscription, the one depicted is Monk Theodoros. He wears a clerical garb, a cassock and a cloak, but is simpler in his grooming. Like the previous one, he holds the book with his left hand and the incense burner with the right one. The images are placed so that Prince Kohazat appears in the center with the spiritual class representatives on his either side.

Significance

The monument sculptural decoration is unique in the way that it presents sculptures of different meanings: saints, spiritual and secular figures. All the sculptures have performance features and different pictorial rules.

📜 Traditional legends

The church is named after St. Grigor, now known as St. Hovhannes. The Syunyats settlements are assumed to be abandaned as a result of the invaders’ raids, and the real name of the church was not known to the resettled people. For that reason, the locals renamed it as St. Hovhannes based on the inscription preserved on the western wall: “JOHANNES THE CHURCH”.

Sources

Stepanos Orbelyan 1910, History of Sisakan province, Tiflis, N. Aghaniantsi printing house, 619 pages.
Divan of the Armenian lithography 1960, Prak 2, Goris, Sisian and Ghapan regions, compiled by S. Barkhudaryan, Yerevan, USSR the Academy of Sciences ed., 143 pages.
Mnatsakanyan S.1961, Sisavan icon sculptures and the date of the construction of the temple, Bulletin, N10, pp. 63-76.
Mnatsakanyan S. 1964, Overview of the history of the Armenian architecture, Yerevan, USSR the Academy of Sciences ed., 322 pages.
Hakobyan Z. 2016, Armenian Early Medieval Sculpture (IV-VII centuries), Yerevan, YSU Publishing House, 169 pages.
Harutyunyan V. 1992, History of the Armenian Architecture, Yerevan, “Luys”, 540 pages.
Syuni T. 2007, the Syuni Monastery, Moscow, 66 pages.

List of monuments
Syunik 8.6.14

📷 Gallery

1. The Plan of St. Hovhannes Church (Mnatsakanyan 1964, 145).
2. Syuni Monastery at the beginning of the XX century. (“Service for the Preservation of Historical Environment and Cultural Museum-reservations” SNOC)
3. St. Hovhannes church from the south (photo by D. Davtyan).
4. St. Hovhannes church from the south-east (photo by D. Davtyan).
5. St. Hovhannes church from the east (photo by D. Davtyan).
6. St. Hovhannes Church from the foot of the hill (photo by D. Mirijanyan).
7. A priest’s bust on the southern wall of the church above the eastern niche (according to the photographer T. Syuni the sculpture depicts the bishop of Syunik Ter Vrtanes).
8. The bust of Prince Kohazat (Mnatsakanyan 1964, fig. 59).
9. The statue of Monk Theodoros (Mnatsakanyan 1964, fig. 59a).
10. One of the sculptures above the southern niche of the western wall (photo by T.Syuni).
11. The sculpture above the northern niche of the western wall (photo by T. Syuni).