Church of the Holy Cross at Soradir
Encyclopedia
The Church of the Holy Cross at Soradir is a 6th century Armenian monastic complex in south-eastern Turkey
. It is situated west of the village of Yanal near the town and district of Başkale
in Van Province
.
; the site corresponds to a settlement in the Metz Aghbak
district of Vaspurakan
province of historical Armenia
. According to Armenian inscriptions found inside the main church, in 582 with the sponsorship of Saro Mahtesi the church's dome and western threshold were reconstructed. In the 10th century, the Armenian king Gurgen III Artzruni entrusted the architect Manuel to build the Saint Cross of Akhtamar monastery copying the design of the Dzoradir monastery. It was a functioning Armenian monastery until the Armenian Genocide
in 1915.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. It is situated west of the village of Yanal near the town and district of Başkale
Baskale
Başkale is a town and district located in south-eastern Turkey in Van Province. There is one municipality in the Başkale district, the town centre, which was established 1937...
in Van Province
Van Province
Van Province is a province in eastern Turkey, between Lake Van and the Iranian border. It is 19,069 km2 in area and had a population of 1,035,418 at the end of 2010....
.
History
The Monastery of the Holy Cross at Soradir or Dzoradir was built in the 6th century by the apprentice of the architect of the Saint Bartholomew MonasterySaint Bartholomew Monastery
The Saint Bartholomew Monastery is a 13th-18th century Armenian monastery built in what was then the Vaspurakan Province of Greater Armenia, now near the town of Başkale in the Van Province of southeastern Turkey...
; the site corresponds to a settlement in the Metz Aghbak
Metz Aghbak
Metz Aghbak Armenian: Աղբակ Մեծ is a district of Vaspurakan province of Historical Armenia. Its main town was known as Adamamert aka Hadamakert . This town corresponds to modern Başkale in the east of modern Turkey....
district of Vaspurakan
Vaspurakan
Vaspurakan was the first and biggest province of Greater Armenia, which later became an independent kingdom during the Middle Ages, centered around Lake Van...
province of historical Armenia
Historical regions of Armenia
Historical Armenia had 15 provinces. The provinces were called ashkharh , which means "world" in Armenian.-See also:*Armenian Highland*Kingdom of Armenia*Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia*Lesser Armenia*Hamshen*Armenian Mesopotamia...
. According to Armenian inscriptions found inside the main church, in 582 with the sponsorship of Saro Mahtesi the church's dome and western threshold were reconstructed. In the 10th century, the Armenian king Gurgen III Artzruni entrusted the architect Manuel to build the Saint Cross of Akhtamar monastery copying the design of the Dzoradir monastery. It was a functioning Armenian monastery until the Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
in 1915.