Makenyats Vank Explained

Building Name:Makenyats Vank
Մաքենյաց վանք
Map Type:Armenia#Gegharkunik
Map Size:275
Location:Makenis, Gegharkunik Province, Armenia
Geo:40.1251°N 45.6133°W
Religious Affiliation:Armenian Apostolic Church
Architecture:yes
Architecture Style:Armenian
Year Completed:9th–13th centuries
Dome Quantity:1

Makenyats Vank (Armenian: Մաքենյաց վանք) is a 9th–13th century Armenian monastery located south of Lake Sevan in the village of Makenis in the Gegharkunik Province of Armenia. The monastery was founded in 851 with the construction of the central S. Astvatsatsin Church by Prince Grigor Supan II, the son of Princess Mariam, who was also the founder of Kotavank in Nerkin Getashen, Armenia. Makenyats Vank served as a major cultural and educational center for the medieval province of Gegharkunik.

Architecture

The main church of S. Astvatsatsin is cruciform in plan, with a conical dome supported by a circular tholobate below. Four windows pierce the walls of the tholobate, letting some light into the church interior. A large horse carved in bas-relief adorns the interior basalt lintel of the main portal to the church.

A single cupola rests over the southwest entry. Numerous khachkars have been placed along the walls of the Church as well as the outer walls enclosing the monastery. A cemetery encompasses the church, especially around the western end, with both medieval and contemporary graves. Along the outer wall, along the gorge to the southwest corner, there is a medieval sanitary facility.

External links