The surroundings of Van, which served as the main city of Armenia for thousands of years, and the entire shore of Lake Van are rich with monasteries, the epicenter of medieval life in our country. Among the suburban monasteries of Van, Vargavank, or the Temple of the Seven Churches—Yot Ekeheci, holds a prominent position. Kurds and Turks have translated this name to Yedikkilise.
Vargavank is situated 9 km southeast of the center of Van, on the southern slope of Mount Varg (Erk), rising to 3212 meters above sea level, marking the eastern boundary of the Van-Tosp district in the Vaspurakan province of Greater Armenia.
Various names for this monastery reflect its role and significance, including Avag Surb Nshan (Main Monastery of the Holy Sign), Mayravank (Mother Monastery), and Mayrakakhak Menastanats (Capital of Monasteries). The monastery complex comprises seven churches—Surb Astvatsatsin, Surb Gevorg, Surb Khach, Surb Ovanes, Surb Nshan, Surb Sion, and Surb Sofia.
The first five churches are built close together. The main and most beautiful ancient church in the complex is Surb Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God), constructed from large stone blocks and closely resembling the Aghtamar Church of Surb Khach in its design.
This church dates back to the 7th century. The Surb Sofia or Berdavor (Fortress) Church was built in 981 by Queen Hushush, daughter of Gagik Bagratuni and wife of the King of Vaspurakan Senekerim, as evidenced by an inscription on the church wall.
The walls of the Surb Gevorg Church, built from hewn stones, are covered with oil-painted icons inside. The Surb Khach Church housed the Vargavank Matenadaran, one of the largest in medieval Armenia, along with a printing press brought from Europe by Catholicos Khrimyan Hayrik.
The monastery complex also included numerous secular buildings—two-story living quarters for monks and students, a school building, warehouses, granaries, a bathhouse, a room for manuscript scribes and illustrators, a bakery, and the Vargavank episcopal halls.
In the monastery courtyard were a spring and a luxurious garden. The walls of the churches and the khachkars embedded in them bear many inscriptions, including cuneiform. Vargavank was surrounded by a thick brick wall with towers, which were repaired in 1777 and 1803 by abbots Grigor and Ghazar.
In 1648, the monastery was heavily damaged by an earthquake, but the then abbot Kirakos immediately began restoration with the help of wealthy residents of Van. Architect Tiratur added a vestibule to the Surb Astvatsatsin Church. In 1779, the vestibule was decorated with mosaics honoring King Abgar, the virgins Gayane and Hripsime, Archangel Gabriel, and other saints. Another earthquake damaged Vargavank in 1849.
Vargavank is the burial place of the last King of Vaspurakan Senekerim Ardzruni (990-1021), his wife Queen Hushush, Catholicoses Petros I Getadardz (1019-1058), and Mkrtich I Vanetsi (Khrimyan Hayrik, 1892-1907). Khrimyan Hayrik was also the abbot of Vargavank Monastery from 1856-69. Under his leadership, the cultural and economic life of the monastery revived significantly. The Vargavank Higher School, known as the Zharangavorts Varjaran, was reestablished (opened on March 1, 1857).
Among its first graduates were Garegin Srvandztyan and Arsen Tukhmakhyan. In 1909, a junior boarding school also began operating in the monastery. The Vargavank printing house, founded by Khrimyan Hayrik, published the journal “Ardziv Vaspurakani” between 1858 and 1864. The monastery also opened a pottery workshop and expanded its land holdings.
In the early 20th century, the Vargavank Matenadaran housed about 400 manuscripts and 1000 printed books. The monastery cemetery abounds with khachkars from the 14th-19th centuries.
Like all of Western Armenia, the Vargavank Monastery was looted and almost completely destroyed between 1915 and 1921, losing its native and rightful population—the Armenians.
Ten kilometers east of the center of Van, near the village of Kohbants on the opposite northern slope of Varg, near the famous villages of Dzorovants and Zrvardants, lies another renowned medieval Armenian monastery—Salnapat Surb Grigor, or Lower Vargavank.
It is situated on a hill amidst a gorge, surrounded by the bare picturesque cliffs of Varg. Thanks to its cool and healthy air, numerous springs, and scenic nature, Salnapat remained a favorite summer retreat for the people of Van until 1915-1921.
According to tradition, it was founded by Grigor Lusavorich, who proclaimed upon its completion: “Sa e lav anapat” (this is a good desert). In reality, the name Salnapat originates from the ancient Armenian toponym Salnodzor. A chapel where Grigor Lusavorich prayed is preserved in a small grove near the monastery.
The Salnapat Monastery complex includes the Surb Astvatsatsin and Surb Karapet churches, built from large hewn stones, a chapel, and auxiliary buildings, all surrounded by a common wall. The church walls bear inscriptions from 1260 and 1559. Another ancient cuneiform inscription is preserved inside the Surb Karapet Church on a bluish stone of the wall table.
Salnapat was one of the centers of Armenian literacy, and manuscripts created here from the 15th to 17th centuries have survived. An orphanage operated here from 1909. Salnapat is also notable for being the burial place of the famous Armenian historian and philosopher of the 10th century, Catholicos of Armenia, Hovhannes Draskhanakerttsi (897-929), as recorded in an issue of the journal “Murch” from 1903.
Halfway from Van to Vargavank, on the Gaylget River—a left tributary of the well-known Van River Ankuyisner, between the Shushants and Araruts Mountains in the western foothills of Varg, 7 km southeast of Van, lies the historic village of Shushants.
The village and its surroundings are home to numerous ancient and medieval Armenian monuments. One of the largest and most significant villages in the Van-Tosp district, Shushants had about 60-65 Armenian houses in the early 20th century. Legend connects the village’s name with Princess Shushanik, daughter of King Senekerim, to whom it belonged.
The princess was also buried here, and her grave was called Shushan Hatuni Gerezman. However, the village’s name, derived from the ancient Armenian root “sos” or “sose” (plane tree), is much older. At the end of the 19th century, Professor Schulz discovered two cuneiform inscriptions from the Van Kingdom period here, and the toponym Sos, Shosh, or Shushants (Shushi) has been in use for about eight thousand years.
The Surb Gevorg Church, with a construction inscription dating to 1650, was active in the village, along with a primary school. In the 14th-17th centuries, several Armenian manuscripts were created in Shushants. East of the village, on the western slope of Varg, is the Karkutkhach gorge with the Aparanjanner spring. Here lies the Shushants Monastery, and nearby is the Urbatayr Chapel.
Two kilometers north of the village is the Karmravor Surb Astvatsatsin Monastery (Arakel Davrizhetsi confused it with the Shushants Monastery, leading many Armenologists to repeat this error). This monastery was also known as Upper Vargavank, Gailots, or Galila Vank. In ancient times, a village of the same name (Karmravor) existed around the monastery.
The monastery complex included a church, a vestibule, monks’ cells, and rooms for travelers. The complex was surrounded by a wall made of adobe bricks. The Karmravor Surb Astvatsatsin Monastery was repaired in 1617 with funds from merchants Mikael and Melkon and in 1780 by someone named Baghdasar. Near the monastery, ancient cuneiform inscriptions are found on the surviving fragments of walls from the earliest structures.
A center of medieval Armenian literacy, the Karmravor Surb Astvatsatsin Monastery had a boarding school and orphanage in the early 20th century. Among the listed monuments of Shushants, west of the village, near the summit of Varg, was the ancient temple dedicated to the goddess Astghik—the Astghan Temple.
Another renowned monastery is located 12 km east of Van, near the village of Ahavank on the left bank of the Ankuyisner River in the northern foothills of Varg. The village also has a second name, Darman (called Derman by the Turks). The toponym Ahavank is a variation of the ancient name Vahevanyan, the name of a temple that once stood there.
The medieval Ahavank Monastery, also known as Surb Zoravor Ahavani, was built on the site of the ancient temple. From Ahavank-Darman along the banks of the Ankuyisner River, heading west toward Van, there are three historically significant villages, each with its own eponymous monastery: Dzorovants with the Dzorovank Monastery, Zrvandants, and Sghga (Soakha) with the Sghga Vank Monastery.
Moving further into the region, these monasteries and their surrounding villages played crucial roles in the religious and cultural life of medieval Armenia. The monasteries served not only as places of worship but also as centers of education, manuscript creation, and preservation of Armenian heritage.
The continuation of our journey through the suburbs of Van will lead us to explore more such villages and monasteries, each rich with historical significance and cultural legacy. These sites, while many have faced destruction and loss, remain testaments to the resilience and enduring spirit of the Armenian people and their dedication to preserving their cultural and religious heritage.
Artatsolum
Based on an article by Grigor Beglaryan
