Saint Sargis Monastery of Ushi
Encyclopedia
Saint Sargis Monastery is a large monastic complex (45 x 54 meters) located just outside the village of Ushi
in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia
. It sits at the far side of what was once a settlement site from the 3rd - 1st millennia BC. The monastery is a well known pilgrimage site, and was one of the centers of spiritual education in Armenia. Many fine examples of early Armenian architecture from various periods can be seen around the complex.
The monastery is known to have had a brief visit during September 1734 by Abraham Kretatsi
during the time while he was serving the Catholicos Abraham II while on his pilgrimage to a number of monasteries at the Catholicos' request. The Catholicos had said to him, "I have not traveled anywhere for a long time and my heart is very heavy." In Kretratsi's writings he says that:
The Monastery of Saint Sargis consists of Saint Sargis Chapel of the 10th c., Surb Astvatsatsin Church ("Church of the Holy Mother of God"), an adjacent gavit
of the 11th-12th c., vestibule, belfry, refectory, vaulted guest-chamber, housing for monks, and utility rooms. A fortification wall built in 1654 with fortified two-storey circular towers in three of the corners surrounds the monastic complex. During the earthquakes of 1679 and 1827, the monastery was reduced to ruins. The only structure left standing was the single-nave vaulted chapel that houses Saint Sargis' grave. He was originally buried in the village town of Namyan, but in the 5th century a delegation led by Saint Mesrop moved Saint Sargis' remains and interred them at this site. The chapel was damaged and left in poor condition due to the earthquakes, and shows some signs of emergency repairs.
Restoration work was done on the chapel in December 2003 to spring of 2004, and recent archaeological excavations have started to take place under the patronage of Archbishop Shahen Ajemian headed by Frina Babayan. Archaeologists have cleared the collapsed structures and are currently (as of Aug. 2009) working to piece together parts of the collapsed church and gavit.
Upon the hill nearby, there are the remains of an Iron Age fortress
. It is almost nonexistent except for portions of the collapsed walls that once surrounded the fortress. Nearby down the main road that leads back into Ushi from the monastery, is a small chapel from the 10th century.
Ushi
Ushi is a village in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. Until the Russian conquest in 1828, Ushi was the administrative center of the Sayyidli-Aksakhali Mahal . The town contains a small 10th century chapel, and approximately 1 km outside of the village are the ruins of Saint Sargis Monastery of...
in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. It sits at the far side of what was once a settlement site from the 3rd - 1st millennia BC. The monastery is a well known pilgrimage site, and was one of the centers of spiritual education in Armenia. Many fine examples of early Armenian architecture from various periods can be seen around the complex.
The monastery is known to have had a brief visit during September 1734 by Abraham Kretatsi
Abraham III of Armenia
Catholicos Abraham III was the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church between 1734 and 1737. Born in Heraklion, Crete, to a Greek mother, he was bishop of Rodosto, Thrace and then Armenian prelate of Thrace from 1708-1734...
during the time while he was serving the Catholicos Abraham II while on his pilgrimage to a number of monasteries at the Catholicos' request. The Catholicos had said to him, "I have not traveled anywhere for a long time and my heart is very heavy." In Kretratsi's writings he says that:
The Monastery of Saint Sargis consists of Saint Sargis Chapel of the 10th c., Surb Astvatsatsin Church ("Church of the Holy Mother of God"), an adjacent gavit
Gavit
A gavit or zhamatun is often contiguous to the west of a church in a Medieval Armenian monastery. It served as narthex , mausoleum and assembly room.-History:...
of the 11th-12th c., vestibule, belfry, refectory, vaulted guest-chamber, housing for monks, and utility rooms. A fortification wall built in 1654 with fortified two-storey circular towers in three of the corners surrounds the monastic complex. During the earthquakes of 1679 and 1827, the monastery was reduced to ruins. The only structure left standing was the single-nave vaulted chapel that houses Saint Sargis' grave. He was originally buried in the village town of Namyan, but in the 5th century a delegation led by Saint Mesrop moved Saint Sargis' remains and interred them at this site. The chapel was damaged and left in poor condition due to the earthquakes, and shows some signs of emergency repairs.
Restoration work was done on the chapel in December 2003 to spring of 2004, and recent archaeological excavations have started to take place under the patronage of Archbishop Shahen Ajemian headed by Frina Babayan. Archaeologists have cleared the collapsed structures and are currently (as of Aug. 2009) working to piece together parts of the collapsed church and gavit.
Upon the hill nearby, there are the remains of an Iron Age fortress
Ushiberd
Ushiberd is an Iron Age fortress located upon a hill just outside the village of Ushi in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. It has almost completely collapsed except for portions of the walls that once surrounded the fortress, located around the edge of the hill before it descends...
. It is almost nonexistent except for portions of the collapsed walls that once surrounded the fortress. Nearby down the main road that leads back into Ushi from the monastery, is a small chapel from the 10th century.