Avan, Aragatsotn
Encyclopedia
Avan is a town in the Aragatsotn Province
of Armenia
. The population is largely Kurdish
. The village is home to the basilica style church of Surb Astvatsatsin that sits along a street just off of the main road beside the town cemetery. The large cemetery contains many khachkar
s from the 13th-18th centuries. Adjacent to it across the street is a stepped plinth and broken funerary pillar monument of the 5th to 6th c. A worn inscription may be found along the landings of the second and third steps. There is a newly built church also by the name of Surb Astvatsatsin that sits near the main highway closer to the center of town, and is said to have been constructed upon old foundations. Some confusion may arise since two churches in the town are referred to as S. Astvatsatsin, but one of them may actually be the church of S. Hovhannes. They are said to have been first built in the 5th to 6th c., were reconstructed in the 13th c., and have sat in ruins until recently since the earthquake of 1679.
Aragatsotn
Aragatsotn is a province of Armenia. It is in the west of the country, and its capital is Ashtarak. The name means "a foot of Aragats" . During the Arsacid Dynasty of the Kingdom of Armenia, the region was part of the Ayrarat province...
of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. The population is largely Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
. The village is home to the basilica style church of Surb Astvatsatsin that sits along a street just off of the main road beside the town cemetery. The large cemetery contains many khachkar
Khachkar
A khachkar or khatchkar is a carved, cross-bearing, memorial stele covered with rosettes and other botanical motifs. Khachkars are characteristic of Medieval Christian Armenian art found in Armenia.-Description:...
s from the 13th-18th centuries. Adjacent to it across the street is a stepped plinth and broken funerary pillar monument of the 5th to 6th c. A worn inscription may be found along the landings of the second and third steps. There is a newly built church also by the name of Surb Astvatsatsin that sits near the main highway closer to the center of town, and is said to have been constructed upon old foundations. Some confusion may arise since two churches in the town are referred to as S. Astvatsatsin, but one of them may actually be the church of S. Hovhannes. They are said to have been first built in the 5th to 6th c., were reconstructed in the 13th c., and have sat in ruins until recently since the earthquake of 1679.