{"id":1891,"date":"2012-06-26T18:22:03","date_gmt":"2012-06-26T14:22:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/barevarmenia.com\/travelblog\/?p=1891"},"modified":"2013-02-05T18:50:52","modified_gmt":"2013-02-05T14:50:52","slug":"neghuts%c2%ad-monastery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barevarmenia.com\/travelblog\/neghuts%c2%ad-monastery\/","title":{"rendered":"The Porch of Neghuts Monastery"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Neghuc<\/a>
\u00a9 Artak Kolyan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The porches are unique structures in the Armenian\u00a0architecture. The porches reproduce the forms of the\u00a0Armenian national houses developed during many centuries and present half-civic or half-ecclesiastical structures of the national architectural style. The Armenian\u00a0architects mostly used the four-pillar architectural style\u00a0to construct the porches. The porch of Neghuts St.\u00a0Astvatsatsin Monastery belongs to that kind of porches.\u00a0During 12-13th\u00a0centuries the term \u201czhamatun\u201d (bell\u00a0tower) had the same meaning as the word porch.\u00a0\u201cZhamatun\u201d literally means the house of bells, and the\u00a0term \u201cporch\u201d (gavit) in the Armenian language means\u00a0an open yard of church or house.
\nSt. Astvatsatsin church of Neghuts monastic complex (10-12th\u00a0centuries), its western porch (1271) and a\u00a0hall behind the porch are situated on the northern side\u00a0of the triangular cape near the wooded plateau separated by two mountainous rivulets 2km away from the
\nArzakan village in Kotayk region.
\nThe monument is severely damaged as its southern\u00a0wall is completely destroyed and only the northern sector of the drum can be seen from the dome. The porch\u00a0is considered to be the most significant structure in the\u00a0architectural complex and is distinguished for its rich\u00a0forms and massive constructive solutions. It significantly dominates over the whole structure of church by\u00a0its absolute sizes. The walls and pillars of the porch are\u00a0made of basalt; the quarters and the cover are made of\u00a0brown tufa and have the opportunity to be developed\u00a0with more expressive forms.
\nThe multiform structure of the pillars is very interesting: the pair of eastern columns is circular, the northwestern pillar is octahedral, and the southwestern pillar\u00a0is developed by thin pillar bunches in external edge. The\u00a0ornaments of the ceiling of the porch are expressively\u00a0splendid. There are no high-relieves in the porch, there\u00a0is only a head of a lion portrayed above the southern\u00a0entrance as a protector of the porch. The structures of the\u00a0reliefs were substituted for white, red and black geometrically designed structures among which the most distinguished one is the symbol of eternity. The porch of St.\u00a0Astvatsatsin church is unique among the range of the\u00a0Armenian porches for its solemnly designed portal. The\u00a0structure of the solemnly designed portal is especially\u00a0emphasized as it is the composition axis of the external\u00a0southern facade of the porch with the richly decorated
\ncupola in the upper part. There are crosses engraved in\u00a0different parts of the porch: on all the quarters, pillars\u00a0and eastern wall where the entrance leads to St.\u00a0Astvatsatsin church. The crosses are also engraved on\u00a0the western wall of the dome. Generally, there are\u00a0numerous cross-stones near the monument. One of them\u00a0is situated on the adjacent hill; the others are spread in\u00a0the surroundings of the monastery.
\nSo, the monastic complex of Neghuts with its porch\u00a0is one of the most beautiful samples of the Armenian\u00a0medieval architecture which is also considered to be a\u00a0holy place for pilgrimages. Each year on the day of St.\u00a0Astvatsatsin people of Arzakan village go to church to\u00a0pray to Our Lady.<\/p>\n

\"Share<\/a>