Architettura Armena

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HARICHAVANK' / Xlllth century
The monastery located near a small village in the region of Artik stands on a vast plateau bordering on a steep valley. It is composed of two churches and a gavit.
The main church built by the princes Zakare and Ivane in 1201 is a domed hall with a gallery reached by steep stairs on the upper part of the eastern end. The exterior is richly decorated with reliefs which encircle the windows and form large crosses, arcades and frames; a bas­-relief on the east wall depicts the donors presenting a model of the church. The surface of the drum is articulated by a narrow blind arcading. A second small scale stone model faithfully reproducing the church stands as an akroterion at the peak of the west façade.

The gavit of four free-standing column type was built in the Xlllth century under prince Vahram Hechup.
Near the south-western corner of the gavit stands the church of St. Gregory. This is a tetraconch with apses which are semi-circular on the interior and polygonal on the exterior. Its volume is not clearly distinguishable, however, since one of its apses lies within the gavit, a second one is preceded by a small entrance porch and the other two are surmounted by two subsequently added rectangular chapels.

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