A 770-YEAR-OLD LEGENDARY MONASTERY IN NAGORNO KARABAKH

Aysor
April 2 2010
Armenia

St. Hovhannes Mkrtich Cathedral of legendary monastery of Gandzasar
turns 770 years. On this occasion, by decision of President of
Nagorno Karabakh Bako Sahakian and leader of the Artsakh Diocese of
the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop Pargev Martirosian there
will be held celebrating events to mark this anniversary.

Prime Minister of Nagorno Karabakh ha signed a decree on establishment
of a joint commission, which had already held its first meeting. The
schedule and programme of the upcoming events were approved. In
particularly, there will be held concerts, exhibitions, science
conferences with participants from Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh and
Diaspora; a film about Gandzasar monastery it is also expected to be
shot as well as a page on Internet to be opened.

St. Hovhannes Mkrtich Cathedral is Gandzasar monastery’s most
important structure; it is a large church with a cupola in the
inscribed cross plan. The Cathedral was built between 1216 and 1238,
and has been hailed as a "crown jewel" and the "encyclopedia" of
Armenian architecture by the famous Russian scholar Anatoly. L.

Yakobson of St. Petersburg’s Hermitage.