St. Shoghakat church

Name: St. Shoghakat church
Monument type: Church- Monastic Complex
Region: Armavir Province
Periods: Medieval

Name: St. Shoghakat church

Other nomination: St. Shoghakat monastery, St. Mariane Monastery

Monument type: Domed hall

Region: Armavir

Community: Vagharshapat

Residence: Vagharshapat town (1945–1995 , Etcmiadzin)

Location: Northeast side of the city – to the west of St. Hripsime Temple

Preservation: Despite the partial renovations, it mainly preserved its original condition

Coordinates: 40o10’01” 44o18’35”

Elevation: 853 m

Era and chronology: According to the legend, Gregory the Illuminator built a chapel at the place where the virgin was martyred, which was destroyed over the centuries. According to the construction protocol preserved in the upper part of the entrance, the current church was built in 1694 during the reign of Patriarch A. Edesatsi (1691-1705), with the funds of Khoja (merchant) Aghamal Nakhijevantsi.

St. Shoghakat Church: Where Heaven’s Light Meets Earth

Step into a world steeped in legend and history, where the sacred and the sublime converge. Nestled in the heart of Armenia, specifically in the Armavir region, St. Shoghakat Monastery is a sacred sanctuary whose very name, translating to “drop of light” in Armenian, speaks of miracles and divine blessings. It is not merely a place of worship; it is where legends come alive, and the echoes of the past reverberate through the ages.
This edifice holds immense historical and cultural significance, internationally recognized and earning it a coveted spot on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

According to ancient legend, St. Shoghakat Monastery stands on the hallowed ground where the virgin martyr, Mariane, was tragically persecuted. It was here that Gregory the Illuminator, a revered figure in Armenian history, built a humble chapel to honor her memory. This sacred spot later witnessed a miraculous event: a beam of light appeared in St. Gregory the Illuminator’s vision, leading to the naming of the church as Shoghakat.

Over the centuries, the chapel disappeared, but the spirit of devotion persisted.
In 1694, the present-day church was erected. Since then, the monastery has witnessed centuries of transformation and devotion.

The monastery boasts a unique architectural style, reflecting the influences of the Early Middle Ages. Its elongated prayer hall, adorned with a semi-complete upper tabernacle, evokes a sense of reverence and awe.
The dome, crowned with an eight-seated drum, sits majestically at the center of the hall, constructed from the exquisite light orange and black tuff stone. The entrances, adorned with intricate detailing, invite you to step back in time and explore the secrets of the past.
The exterior of the monastery, though simple in design, is adorned with inscripted khachkars dedicated to Aghamal and his family. The serene monastic cemetery, home to the abbots, church servants, and the esteemed Abamelik clan, lies to the east of the church.

St. Shoghakat Monastery isn’t just a place of architectural wonder; it’s a hallowed ground that cradles the memories of the past. The eastern side of the church is the final resting place for abbots, church servants, and the illustrious Abamelik clan. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it served as a congregation and witnessed the creation of numerous manuscripts.

As you explore the grounds, you’ll come across a small khachkar perched on the pyramid of the northwestern corner—a symbol of devotion to passersby. It’s said that during the time of Catholicos Ghukas Karnetsi, a Gospel was placed on a shelf near this very spot for all to venerate and kiss.

Beyond the monastery’s hallowed walls, explorations in the vicinity have unearthed a treasure trove of history. The archaeological expedition of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography discovered the ruins of a single-nave basilica church dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries, adding yet another layer to the captivating heritage of this UNESCO World Heritage-listed site.

FACTS

❈ St. Shoghakat Monastery is linked to the legend of Mariane and Gregory the Illuminator, with the name derived from a miraculous vision.

❈ The present-day church, constructed in 1694, reflects a unique architectural style from the Early Middle Ages, boasting an awe-inspiring design.

❈ The monastery features intricate khachkars and a serene cemetery for abbots, church servants, and the Abamelik clan.

❈ It holds historical significance beyond its architecture, with 18th and 19th-century congregations and manuscript creation.

❈ In the vicinity, the archaeological expedition unearthed the ruins of a 5th and 6th-century basilica church, enriching the heritage of this UNESCO World Heritage-listed site.

🔍 Research history

The first information refers to the XIX century (H. Shahkhatunyants, G. Alishan). The scientific study was carried out during the Soviet years, with the main focus on on the architecture (S. Mnatsakanyan, M. Hasratyan, V. Harutyunyan). A short monograph is dedicated to the monastery (author: N. Ter-Mikayelyan), and the lithographs were thoroughly studied by A. Harutyunyan.

🧱 Archaeological description

Stratigraphy
There are no early medieval bibliographic evidences about Shoghakat; it was active in the Late Middle Ages.
Information about the renovations carried out in the church is scarce. It is known to be partially renovated during the reign of Khrimyan Hayrik (1893-1907).
The 3-room apartment (1900) of the former abbots is on the southern side of the church. The church was thoroughly repaired in 1959-1960 during the reign of Catholicos Vazgen I (the plot of the monastery was fenced, inside and around the church was paved, the roof and windows were repaired, the surroundings of the church were improved and greened, a new holy table was built from felsite stone). The new 2-room monastery of the abbots was built on the north-western side in 1983. The decayed stones of the roof were rebuilt in 1988, and the paving of the yard in 1989. In 1994 the pavement inside the church was raised, the stage slabs were repaired with tuff stone.
A basalt fountain-monument was built in memory of the martyrs of the Punyan village of Caesarea in 1987 in the north-western corner of the church.
The western and southern doors of the church were changed in 2008.

Architecture
The plan and spatial form solutions of the church and the architecture are specific to the domed hall-type churches created in the Early Middle Ages (Ptghni, Aruch), which suggests that it was built on the VI-VII century foundations of the building. The prayer hall is an elongated (7.1 x 14.2 m) hall, with a semi-complete upper tabernacle on the eastern side and narrow vestibules on the right and left sides. In the right (south) vestry is the marble tombstone of Virgin Mary, which is a covenant sanctuary for the faithful. The dome with an 8-seated drum is crowned with a similarly shaped pediment. The dome is in the center of the hall with 2 pairs of masonry, like similar ancient churches. It is constructed of light orange and black tuff.
Entrances are opened from the western (sculptured) and southern (plain and dirty) facades.
The vestibule built at the same time as the church is adjacent to the western side, crowned with a 6-pillar sculptured belfry (rotunda) and a large arched opening in the center of the western facade. Catholicos Patriarch I of Edessa and Abraham III of Crete (1734-1737) are buried here. There was another vestibule (collapsed in 1807), as well as inner and outer walls with pyramids, wooden and earthen rooms of various purposes.
The exterior decoration of the church stands out for its simplicity. The western facade of the vestibule is covered with the richest geometric decoration. The eastern facade is highlighted by a wicker crucifix and 4 rosettes. The inscripted khachkars on all the walls stand out, mainly dedicated to the memory of Aghamal and his family members. The author of the khachkars is Master Hayrapet.
Khachkars with such a simple, woven cross and ornaments are also found on the walls of the churches built in the same region (St. Astsvatsatsin of Khor Virap, St. Zoravar of Yerevan, St. Hovhannes, St. Hakob of Kanaker, etc.).
The monastic cemetery of the monastery, where the abbots, church servants, representatives of the famous Abamelik clan are buried, is on the eastern side of the church.
There was as congregation in the XVIII-XIX centuries. Many manuscripts were also written in the church.
There was a small khachkar placed on the pyramid of the north-western corner of the outer wall for the passersby to worship it. According to the residents, during the time of Catholicos Ghukas Karnetsi (1780-1799), they put a Gospel on a bookshelf near the pillar under the pyramid for pious passersby to worship and kiss it.

🔨 Findings

The archaeological expedition of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography (G. Karakhanyan, G. Sargsyan, H. Melkonyan, P. Harutyunyan) carried out exploratory excavations in 1979 about 150 m south-west of the church, around the cultural house culture. Ruins of a V-VI century single-nave basilica church (8.5 x 5.5 m) were discovered.

🌍 Significance

It is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

🔨 Traditional legends

The 37 virgins who fled to Armenia from the persecutions of Roman Emperor Diocletian, rest near Vagharshapat, where there were vineyards and harvest fields. Among them, Hripsime rejected the love of the Armenian King Tiridates III the Great. The persecution of the virgins began by the latter’s order. One of them was weak and sick and could not follow her friends fleeing from the executioners. She was martyred a little away from the field. Her name was Mariane; there is also Marine version (S.Tsotsikyan).
As Agathangelos testifies, a ray of light appeared on the holy virgin’s place of martyrdom in St. Gregory the Illuminator’s vision, for which the church was called Shoghakat.

📚 Sources

Literature
1. Agathanghelos 1835, Historical Armenian, Venice, Surb Lazar, 686 pages.
2. Alishan Gh. 1890, Airarat, Natural World of Armenia, Venice, St. Lazar, 590 pages.
3. Tsotsikyan S 1917, Ararat-Caucasus, vol. A, Fresno, Asparez tp., 434 pages.
4. Karakhanyan G., Sargsyan G., Melkonyan H., Harutyunyan P. 1992, Newly Discovered Monuments of the Early Middle Ages of Armenia, Banber of Yerevan University, N 2, pp. 158-163.
5. Ter-Mikayelyan N. 2002, Saint Shoghakat, Yerevan, “Mughni” publishing house, 47 pages.
6. Shahkhatuniants Y. 2014, Signature of the Catholic Church of Etchmiadzin and the ancient province of Ararat, St. Etchmiadzin, Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin ed., 560 pages.
7. Harutyunyan A. 2016, Vagharshapat. Monasteries and epitaphs, S. Etchmiadzin, Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin ed., 548 pages.

List of monuments
Armavir 3.2.18