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   » » Wiki: Gharghavank
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Gharghavank (also, Zoravor Church, ) is a ruined Armenian Apostolic church located on the outskirts of the village of , at the lower slopes of in , . To get to the church, turn left immediately after the small cemetery before reaching the village and go up the dirt road that follows closely next to the cemetery grounds. At the fork, keep following left up past the cemetery along a poorly maintained dirt road. After traveling some distance, the church will be perched upon the hillside to the right. Gharghavank may actually be seen from the main highway in the distance, but is hardly distinguishable from the other ruins of more modern structures scattered nearby. A short walk up the hill leads to the church and an ancient cemetery a little further up the hill.


Architecture

Zoravor Church
According to the Armenian historian of the 13th century, Gharghavank was built between the years 661 and 685 by Prince Grigor Mamikonian. The church is a centrally planned aisled type with eight semicircular radiating from the interior space. Exteriors of the eight apse walls alternate with eight rectilinear panels containing wide triangular niches which divide each of the apses. The thick apse walls and supported a and above. Most of the drum and the cupola have since collapsed. Fragments of the geometric decoration may be seen around the premises.

There are two portals that lead into the structure. On the semi-circular of one, is carved a design. In the corners of the triangular niches on the exterior, are columnar decorations. Other designs may be seen around the saddles above the windows, the and , and decorative features that were once around the portals. relief may be seen around the windows, while geometric relief is along the eaves and cornices. There are also traces of painted on the interior of the church. Decorative relief found on the church resembles that at the 7th century Church of Zvartnots at Etchmiadzin.

Restoration work was done to the north side of the church in 1948 and again in later years. Relatively recent photographs show only approximately half of the original structure intact, where the collapsed portion of the wall stands rebuilt today. Some rebar may be seen along the section of the upper wall where the drum once stood, hinting at prior intentions to rebuild portions of the drum as well.


Funeral chapel and cemetery
A short distance from the church are the remains of another structure that served as a funeral . Only a semicircular apse remains standing with some of the roofing still intact. A style design is subtly embedded in the interior portion above the apse at the apex of the half-dome, and a single window peers out below. A cemetery is located nearby, with a few that remain preserved. Many only have a base stone where they once stood.

== Gallery ==

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See also


Bibliography

External links

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