Dadivank Monastery is a unique place. Is it gorgeous? Absolutely! Is it sacred? Ancient? Undoubtedly, since traditionally, Dadi has been the disciple of Thaddeus, one of Jesus’ Apostles who preached Christianity in Armenia back in the 1st century AD.
Mkhitar Gosh, a writer, thinker, and a representative of the Armenian Renaissance, called Dadivank Monastery “Arakelagir”, literally meaning “founded by an Apostle.” Dadivank as if symbolizes the continuation of the legend of Hayk, the progenitor of Armenians. However, Hayk symbolizes the birth of a nation, while Dadivank represents its maturing.
This representation relates not only to Armenia but the whole Christian culture as a whole. This culture is still alive and tangible here and there, though it slowly dissolves year after year. Dadivank is a thin thread connecting the past, the present, and the future. The role of Dadivank is comparable to that of such symbols of Christianity as the St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
And this is particularly topical these days, when the relations between Christian Armenia and Muslim Azerbaijan are worsening day after day with no improvements in sight because the latter doesn’t wish submit to their loss of control over Artsakh.
On October 1, 2026, an armed Azerbaijani soldier entered a family home in Syunik, Armenia.…
A 19th-century Baluch rug beside a 13th-century khachkar from Hovhannavank: a shared design logic, and…
A portrait from the Armenian highlands Two women stand before a painted studio backdrop of…
1. What Was Published on September 25 Aram Navasardyan, head of the Armenian branch of…
Why the topic is back in focus Over the past four months, the gas issue…
It's often assumed that the "Albanization" of Armenian heritage — the policy of declaring medieval…