Armenian khachkars. Khachkars of Armenia – Cultural Treasures Destruction of Armenian Khachkars (in Julfa)

Armenia is often called the land of stones. Indeed, the nature of Armenia is rich in various rocks. Stones such as tuff, basalt, travertine and obsidian are well known and popular as building and facing materials. But there are special stones in Armenia. Stones that have no analogues among any of the peoples of the world and which are one of the national symbols of Armenian culture. These are khachkars.

Khachkar is literally translated from Armenian as "cross-stone". The predecessors of khachkars are stone steles - vishaps, which were installed in ancient times in the mountains and near roads to mark territories.
The history of the emergence of khachkars takes us back to the time of the adoption of Christianity in Armenia. Then, at the beginning of the 4th century, wooden crosses were erected on the site of the monuments of the pagan cult, but since in that era the wooden monuments were burned by opponents of the new religion, Christians began to replace them with stone ones.
The art of the "cross-stone" has reached such heights that it is fair to compare it with jewelry. The master carved the space with such a small openwork that the cutter was sometimes replaced by a needle.
Most often, the khachkar served as a memorial monument. That's why it tends to face west, toward sunset. Khachkars were also erected in memory of significant events, such as victory in battle or the construction of a new temple.
The heyday of the art of khachkars falls on the XII - XIII centuries. Such Masters or, as they are called in Armenia - Warpets, like Timot, Mkhitar, Momik, Arakel, Melikset, Israel, left the brightest trace in the national culture. Their art and traditions are still in demand today.
There are several thousand khachkars on the territory of Armenia, each of which, despite the general style, is distinguished by its unique pattern. They stand near monasteries, in museums, as well as high in the mountains and in dense forests. The largest cemetery of khachkars in Armenia is located in the village of Noraduz, which has more than 900 unique and unrepeatable items.

Many beautiful khachkars in the Geghard monastery complex

Like part of the Geghard complex itself, khachkars are also carved right into the rock

Khachkars in Noravank

Two very beautiful khachkars can be found on the territory of the Cathedral in Etchmiadzin. There is also a khachkar in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

Field of khachkars in Ardvi village

Perhaps the most beautiful khachkars of Armenia. A khachkar by the master Poghos in Goshavank, a khachkar in Bjni and two khachkars in the bell tower of the Dadivank monastery in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Khachkars Makaravank

And a khachkar in the form of a cross against the backdrop of bright autumn colors

Khachkars of Haghartsin

Two masterpieces from Haghpat and one khachkar located at the Matosavank monastery in Dilijan

Khachkars on the territory of the church in Vanadzor

Khachkar near Odzun village in Alaverdi

Khachkars in Areni and Makravank

And very beautiful specimens in Noraduz and Gandzasar

Of course, not all samples of these unique architectural monuments are presented here, because the masters continue to work to this day, creating masterpieces that after many centuries will have the same historical significance as the works of the great Poghos and Momik.

Whether it's a miracle or not, there are no analogues in the real world of architecture.

Khachkars (cross-stones) are a high achievement and a unique work of art. The most valuable of them date back to the 12th-13th centuries. These are unprecedented examples of stone carving craftsmanship. Large sizes, rich ornamentation, superfine carving, ingenious proportions and calculations, amazing harmony…

Translated from Armenian, the word “khachkar” means “cross-stone”. It is a rectangular stone slab with a cross carved on one side. An integral part of the khachkar is abundant carving and semantic load in the form of symbolic and narrative images.

On the territory of historical Armenia, several hundred thousand khachkars have been preserved, and each of them is unique and unrepeatable.

Story

Since the adoption of Christianity as the state religion (301, for the first time in the world), the art of khachkars began to develop. Each architect tried to carve such a khachkar that neither he nor other masters had yet made. The desire to stand out was caused, on the one hand, by the national character, on the other hand, by the contribution of the soul to each work. Monuments were modernized every year, innovations did not allow themselves to wait.

In the XII century. a new era of khachkar business is born. Armed with the experience of their ancestors and a special gift, the creators challenge themselves to achieve the highest degree of stone art, challenging all the complexities of this work. In the absence of even a normal ruler, pencil or well-ground tools, in uncomfortable medieval conditions, architects begin to work wonders. They possessed inhuman patience, since the slightest chip, a slightly careless movement of the hand can damage the khachkar, on which you have been working for several years.

The craftsmen worked continuously for several hours in overvoltage, without being distracted for a second from the stone and the chisel. The most difficult thing was to hit hard, but carefully. Jewelry work at the end of the case was especially painful. The closer you look, the finer the patterns you can see.

Local scientists taught architects mathematics, philosophy, art history, pumped them up with national and religious ideology. For example, the architect of the Noravank Monastery, Momik (14th century), was a graduate of Gladzor University, one of the first universities in the world (1280).

In Armenia, the culture of stone slabs as spiritual symbols has been known since time immemorial. Since the 5th millennium BC, in the mountains at the sources of rivers, near settlements and roads, steles covered with carvings depicting the heads of rams, fish and other symbols were erected. These steles were called “vishapakar”, which means “dragon stone”. These monuments can rightly be considered the progenitors of khachkars. Many khachkars keep elements inherited from the prehistoric culture of their ancestors, for example, the swastika.

It is impossible not to mention the bitter events of 2005, when Azerbaijani vandals destroyed 18,000 khachkars. All of them stood in a large Armenian cemetery, near the Nakhichevan city of Dzhuga. The Armenians of those lands were very rich and each hired an architect to make the gravestone khachkar of his loved one the best. Thus, khachkars, one better than the other, turned the cemetery into a huge museum of incomparable works.

Now this cemetery has been razed to the ground and turned into a landfill. Due to the large number of khachkars, tractors and trucks were used to destroy them. Only a few works brought to Armenia before these events were saved and today stand in Armenian museums.

This is not the first destruction of Armenian religious symbols by Muslims. Also, the Persian and Arab conquerors destroyed most of the khachkars of the early Middle Ages. The Turks destroyed most of the churches and khachkars in Western Armenia (now in Turkey).

But despite this, on the territory of present-day Armenia (RA, NKR) many khachkars have been preserved, including the best specimens. They stand near monasteries, in museums, as well as high in the mountains and in dense forests. Often traveling to distant lands, we are pleasantly surprised to meet a neat, luxurious khachkar in the wild.

Khach" is a cross, and "kar" is a stone. But the khachkar is not just a stone cross, but an artistic symbol of the Armenians. It reflects a subtle sense of beauty and the history of the people. Khachkar is a purely Armenian phenomenon. The history of the appearance of the cross-stone khachkar takes us to the very beginning of the 4th century, when in 301 the Armenians adopted Christianity. In place of the monuments of the pagan cult, human-sized wooden crosses were erected, but since in that era the wooden monuments were burned by opponents of the still weak, young religion, Christians began to replace them with stone ones - the so-called winged crosses. Usually a khachkar has about a meter at the base and one and a half meters in height. But this is not necessary, the sizes are varied. There are large and small khachkars. With the help of a large prong, the stone is fixed on the gravestone in the niches of rocks, in the walls of churches, although khachkars can be found everywhere - near temples, chapels, memorial places, reminding of an important event, date, or just for decoration. The art of the cross-stone reached such heights that it was justly compared with jewelry: the stone cutter filled the space with such a small openwork that the cutter was sometimes replaced by a needle. A cross is carved in the center of the khachkar, and around it are herbs, flowers, fruits, people, animals, birds, various ornaments and motifs. There are khachkars depicting warriors on horseback with spears, peasants in everyday clothes, priests, women and babies. There are khachkars depicting crucifixion and evangelists, with angels and saints. There are khachkars dedicated to historical events, battles and battles. There are stones depicting musicians with musical instruments, everyday scenes. It all depends on the skill and desire of the artist. The Greek scientist Mitsos Alexandropoulos was amazed: “They take a big stone and turn it into lace, a carpet, a garden, a song.” There are a lot of such gardens and songs in Armenia, probably tens of thousands, and each of the khachkars is unique. Every year, more and more talented boys appear in Armenia who want to become warpets - this is how great masters are called in the wonderful stone country. To become a master - warpet, you need to learn from childhood. Only love for art and painstaking work can give joy to people. Thousands of years pass, but the creations of the great warpets do not cease to evoke in a person the very best that real art can evoke. Domestic historiographers reported about the creation of the best khachkars as an event no less significant than, say, the construction of a church. Most often, the khachkar served as a memorial monument. That's why it tends to face west, toward sunset. The people attributed to some khachkars the ability to heal ailments and called them "Amenaprkich" (All Savior). One of the best examples of such a khachkar is a monument made by the master Vahram, standing in the Haghpat monastery. Pilgrimages were made to such khachkars, they were given names, they were even perceived as a force capable of curbing a natural disaster. The famous khachkar “Tsasum” (“Rage”) was endowed with the ability to avert or moderate earthquakes, droughts, and hail. Khachkars associated with legends about dead heroes, about lovers who died in separation, were extremely popular. In ancient times, they say, there lived a rich man who had a beautiful daughter. Having fallen in love with her, two young men sent matchmakers to the girl's father. The father became thoughtful and said: - I have two wheat fields. Whoever among you reaps the wheat faster, for him I will give my daughter. When the young man, whom the girl loved, was already almost finishing the harvest, an evil old woman approached him and lied: - Unfortunate, your rival has already finished harvesting and took the girl to his house. Hearing this, the young man fell down dead. Upon learning of the death of her beloved, the girl died of grief. They were buried in the same grave on the edge of that same wheat field, and the people call their tombstone Akhchik-tgi kar (“Stone of a girl and a young man”). There are places in Armenia where hundreds and even thousands of khachkars are gathered together - a real forest! Only instead of trees stone masterpieces. Such masterpieces were located in Staraya Julfa (Old Jugha), where about 10,000 Armenian khachkars (cross-stones) were installed. But Azerbaijan finally resolved the issue of the Armenian historical heritage in Nakhijevan. In December 2005, Azerbaijani armed formations, having entered the Armenian cemetery in the area of ​​Old Julfa (Nakhichevan) on the banks of the Araks River, began to smash and smash Armenian khachkars with the help of sledgehammers, shovels and heavy equipment, and, transporting khachkars in cars, dumped them in Araks. This crime was filmed from the Iranian coast and spread around the world. On February 16, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the destruction of Armenian monuments in Nakhichevan. 85 deputies of the European Parliament voted for the resolution, 5 - against. During the discussion of the document, the parliamentarians noted the unacceptability of the destruction by Azerbaijan of the world-famous Armenian khachkars (stone crosses).

Armenia is a country densely strewn khachkars, and they are quite an important element of Armenian culture, . If in our country crosses are installed mainly at cemeteries and religious sites, such as churches, recently at the entrances to settlements, then in Armenia khachkars are placed in a variety of places, although, of course, closer to churches and monasteries, their concentration noticeably increases .

Alley of khachkars near the temple destroyed by the earthquake, Gyumri

As Misha from Tsaghkadzor Travel explained to us, a khachkar is such material form of human communication with God. If something good happened to someone, then as a gratitude to the higher powers, he can install a khachkar. If someone very much asks God for something, this is also a good reason to secure his request with a beautiful khachkar. In general, khachkars were erected with or without a reason. On the borders of inhabited lands - to protect against evil spirits. The rulers strutted around in the installation of more luxurious khachkars, so that everyone could see how cool and God-loving they were.

About the origin of the word.

X achkar consists of two parts, khach- cross, car- stone.

English-speaking citizens may like the option hach-car (hashishmobile) or hatch-car (hatch car), but these interpretations are erroneous, although, of course, much funnier.

Typical khachkar(by definition from I index.dictionaries) is a stone stele with the image of a cross, or in the form of a cross. Khachkars appeared at the end of the 8th - beginning of the 9th century. instead of earlier votive stelae and columns. Stone slabs of tuff or basalt were set with their faces to the west (the land of the dead), grouped in twos and threes.

They were covered with ornate carvings, usually including the image of a cross. Large khachkars (2-3 m high) sometimes have a cornice to protect them from rain; small ones were walled into the walls of temples or carved into the massif of the wall. In the XIII-XIV centuries. Khachkars with a particularly exquisite ornament were erected in honor of memorable events and historical dates. Patterns of ornaments do not repeat each other. And really, look at the above photos closer.

All in all, khachkar- a good time-tested way to apply creative urges. Don't know what to do? Make a khachkar, it will not be superfluous: it is pleasing to God, it is beautiful, and there is every chance that it will outlive its creator by many hundreds of years.

The Armenian people throughout their centuries-old history has created cultural treasures that have received wide recognition and high appreciation of the entire civilized world. Armenian medieval architecture, miniature and music have long gone beyond the history of Armenian culture and have taken a worthy place in the history of world art.

One of the original phenomena of the Armenian medieval art is khachkars (cross-stones) - monuments that are widely used in Armenia. Ancient, massive stone statues found in the mountains belong to the same kind of monuments…..

On the hewn blocks, shaped like a giant fish, traces of processing, relief images of symbols are noticeable. Vischapas were associated with the spread of the cult of the water goddess Astghik Derketo among the ancestors of Armenians.

If there is no direct connection between the monuments mentioned above and khachkars, then the Urartian monuments (VIII-VII centuries BC), consisting of a pedestal and a vertical tetrahedral slab mounted on it, covered with cuneiform writing, can be considered as a prototype of a three-dimensional structure khachkar.

In the pre-Christian period, there were monuments of a different content. Written sources mention sculptural monuments erected in the cities of pagan Armenia and along the roads connecting the cities.

Part of them, which survived until the early Christian period (4th-5th centuries), served as the basis for the further design of tetrahedral pillar-shaped monuments with the image of a cross, found on the slopes of Aragatsi, in particular in the Talin and Artik regions.

These monuments are also two-part, they consist of a pedestal and a vertical volume. The most perfect samples of monuments of the early Christian period have a tripartite structure. A stepped foundation is laid under the pedestal (Avan, Ardvi, D…kh, Odzun,….) ….. (IV c.) faith.

According to Anatangeos, Gregory the Illuminator erected crosses in Vagharshanat, on the site of the martyrdom of St. dev. Hripsime and Gayane, on roads, streets, squares. According to legend, wooden crosses in Armenia were installed on the island of Sevan, in ...., as well as in neighboring Georgia on a mountain near Mtskheta, where in the 7th century. the Jvari church was built (dzhvari - in Georgian. cross).

In the IV-VII centuries. wooden crosses were replaced by stone ones. They are represented by "winged crosses" found during the excavations of Dvin. The “winged crosses”, which replaced the wooden ones, at the same time served as the basis for the formation of a new and original area of ​​​​Armenian art.

Origin of Khachkars and their purpose

The restoration of political power in Armenia, which began as a result of the weakening of the Arab Caliphate in the second half of the 9th century. the formation of the Bagratid kingdoms in Ani, Artsruni in Vaspurakan, as well as Kars and Syunik created favorable conditions for the rise of national culture.

Starting from the IX-X centuries. the cities of Armenia are experiencing a rapid flourishing (Ani, Lori, Kars, Van), temples and monasteries are being founded (Tatev, Sevan, Gndevank, Sanahin, Ah..pat, Oromos), which at the same time become important centers for the development of spiritual culture. Architecture, wall painting, and sculpture are undergoing a revival.

It is to this period that the appearance of khachkars belongs. The earliest khachkars known to us date back to the 9th-10th centuries. Worthy of attention is a monument near Nizhny Talin, representing a huge triangular block of stone with a cross carved on it.

Below the cross………, where, apparently, the holy relics were kept. It is possible that this monument is not the IX century, but an earlier one. The wife of Ashot I Bagratuni, Queen Katranide, in 879 in Garni "in the name of saving her soul" established which of the precisely dated khachkars known to us is the earliest.

Of particular interest as works of art are khachkars, which make up the group that laid the foundation for a new type of memorial monuments. Such are the khachkars erected in 881 in the cemetery of the village of Mets Mazra, Vardenis region, in memory of the Syunik and Atvan prince Grigor Amirne… Hripsime and St. Gayane of the village of Martiros in Vayo..zor.

The generalized forms of these khachkars, the cohesion of a few patterns (clusters of grapes, palm leaves), their unconstrained arrangement on a flat stone surface and the simplicity of the composition, made with a fine sense of proportions, create a monumental and majestic monument of a new type.

Monuments with a relief of a cross were also found, which differ in composition from the khachkars noted above, such as, for example, a large round slab located in the chapel of St. virgin Sandukht of the Talinsky district, on which an equal-winged cross is carved.

If the reliefs on the facades of cathedrals and monuments of the 4th-7th centuries. served to spread and strengthen Christianity, then from the end of the 9th century. their main idea is the salvation of the soul. The implementation of this idea was carried out on the facades of some churches by sculptural figures of ktitors with a model of the church in their hands (Gagik Artsruni on the Church of the Holy Cross in Akhtamar, Kyurik and Smbat on the churches of Amenaprkich in Sanahin and St. Nshan in Haghpat, Gagik Bagratuni on the Church of St. Grigor in Ani).

The existence and national independence of the Armenian people were often conditioned by the triumph of faith and the victory of the Church. Being closely connected with the historical fate of the people, the Armenian Church from the very beginning introduced another idea into the struggle against foreign invaders, which played a big role in uniting the Armenian people in the liberation struggle and raising their national self-consciousness.

The struggle of the Armenian people for liberation from the Arab yoke and the restoration of national independence in the VIII-IX and partly at the beginning of the X centuries. is closely associated with the idea of ​​self-sacrifice (the crucifixion of the son of God in the name of the salvation of mankind).

However, khachkars served not only as a kind of symbol of faith, they were created and installed for a variety of reasons: in honor of military victories, to perpetuate events of great historical significance, after the completion of the construction of temples, springs, bridges and other structures.

For example, in an inscription on a khachkar erected in Amberd in 1202, the Zakharid brothers mention their victories over the Seljuks, and Queen Vaneni builds a bridge in Sanahin to perpetuate the memory of her prematurely deceased husband, King Abas (probably after 1192) and installs khachkar.

Khachkars also served as a tombstone. Being an integral part of a tomb structure, khachkars sometimes complete the architectural appearance of the latter. Recall, for example, two khachkars installed on the western facade of the two-story tomb-church of the Tsakhats-kar monastery (1041) and the tomb of the princely family .... Haghpat Monastery (1211-1220)

Perfect examples of the harmony of khachkars and architectural forms can also serve as a khachkar of 1184, installed by Mkhitar in honor of the abbot of San ... .. Tutsord monastery, or a khachkar of 1175, installed by master Petros near the road of the village of Kosh, Ashtarak region. And, finally, the most complete expression of the unity of the khachkar with architectural forms appears in the XIII-XIV centuries. (a group of khachkars at the cemetery ...., 1291, the village of Karmrashen, Azizbekov region, a khachkar 1340, the village of Alayaz, Yeghegnadzor region, etc.)

A separate group consists of the so-called “Amena……” (“All-Savior”) khachkars, for example, a khachkar of 1273 of the small vestibule of the Haghpat Monastery, …. khachkar, created by the master Vahram in 1281, as well as khachkar of 1279, which was recently transported from the Ararat region to ….. .

Unlike other khachkars, a crucifix is ​​depicted on their western façade. The people attributed to such khachkars the ability to heal ailments and turn them into sanctuaries. Khachkars were perceived by the people symbolically, as a force capable of curbing natural disasters.

The significance of khachkars… also lies in the graphic inscriptions carved on them, which often contain historically important information, help to clarify the date of the monument, give the name of the customer, the master carver, the reason for which the khachkar was installed. And in this sense, khachkars are also important documents of the history of the Armenian people.

Khachkars were created on regular-shaped stone slabs, and sometimes right on the ska… Such monuments are found inside churches and vestibules (Hahpat, Geghard, Hovhanan…) they are built into the outer walls, even on the roofs, at the entrances of churches (Geghard, A.. rtsin, Guo ....), as well as in the natural environment, monastic complexes or cemeteries). Similar khachkars were erected separately or in groups (Arinj, Bjii, Hovhananvank, Yeghvard) on pedestals, directly on the ground or on rock fragments (Mastara, Geghard, Karagluh).

Khachkar art and its development

Khachkars, as an original art, experienced ... .. development and improvement. If IV-VII centuries. were the period of the birth of the very idea of ​​a khachkar, and the IX-XI centuries. the period of the formation of form and composition, then the XII-XIII centuries. are the period of the final formation of artistic thinking and ingenuity, a phenomenon that gives the right to classify khachkars according to certain artistic trends or schools.

It is also necessary to note the masters, the creators of these amazing and original monuments.

The study of epigraphic inscriptions revealed a number of names of masters, the fruit of whose creativity are khachkars. In the inscriptions of khachkars, the names of their creators are found from the 12th century. The most famous master of this period was Mkhitar with his student Avetis. Suffice it to mention the excellent scribe and miniaturist, architect and sculptor Momik.

His activity proceeded in 1282-1321. The khachkars created by him are in ….. These khachkars are classified among the best with their fine and perfect ornament. The creations of Momik are the church in ….. and, probably, the tomb church in Noravank.

The khachkars of Goshavank by the master Poghos (1291), the khachkar located in the vestibule of the Geghard Monastery, the creation of the masters Timot and Mkhitar (1213) are also the crowning achievement of this area of ​​art. The name of the master carver Vakhram, the creator of the khachkars “……” is also worthy of mention. in Haghpat and D ... .. who brought new form and content to the decor-khachkars.

Last period

The natural process of development of the art of Armenian khachkars was interrupted by the invasions of the Seljuks and Mongols. But despite this, the organic connection between the individual periods is obvious. The continuous development of the art of khachkar is also obvious, the preservation and improvement of purely national motifs, brilliant examples of which were created in the 12th-13th and partly in the 14th centuries.

There are numerous khachkars dating back to this time. These are mainly tombstones installed in cemeteries. The Armenian people, having lost state and political independence, experiencing a difficult economic situation, were deprived of the opportunity to carry out large-scale construction work of national importance, and therefore their efforts were directed to the creation of small architectural forms.

For this reason, the ornament and relief of khachkars of this period is simplified, losing the former elegance and complexity of form, the unique richness of ligature. Similar khachkars can be found in almost all regions of Armenia, especially in the cemeteries of Noraduz, Kamo (Nor Bayazet), Vardenis, Martuni and Staraya Djuga before being destroyed by the order of the Azerbaijani government.

In the cemeteries of Noraduz, the number of khachkars reaches several hundred. The khachkars of the vast Noraduz cemetery make it possible to trace the stages of development of khachkars from the 10th to the 17th centuries. This series ends with the works of the famous master Kiram, who, according to the surviving inscriptions, cover the time from 1551 to 1610. The khachkars created by him are also found in cemeteries in Martuni, Kamo, Ashtarak (1602) and others.

The craftsmanship and originality of Kiram's creations are not inferior to the khachkars of his contemporaries, the masters Arakel and Melikset, who together created khachkars that are distinguished by an amazing unity of style (the cemetery in Kamo).

The decor of the khachkars of this period, despite the clarity of the lines and the simplicity of the knitting, is monotonous and gives a schematic dryness to the whole composition.

Khachkars, as an integral part of Armenian sculpture, with their exceptional artistry and national coloring, are an expression of the Christian faith of the Armenian people, their patriotism, culture and high level of artistic taste, and as such, they occupy a worthy place in the treasury of world art.

Cemetery Noratus – “Museum of Khachkars”

Khachkars

Destruction of Armenian Khachkars (in Julfa)