The Ancient Village of Togh – Artsakh, Armenia

As a result of excavations in the village of Togh, the first floor of the Melik Yeghanyan Palace was discovered.

Three years ago, excavations of the palace complex of Melik Yeghanyan began in the village of Togh. As they showed, what was on the surface of the earth and was considered by the locals a palace turned out to be an extension adjoined to an original palace that had been buried for centuries.

Below, a video in Armenian is published. The Togh village is also famous for its rich church architecture. The medieval Church of Surb Hovhannes (St. John) is located in the center of the village. According to historian Bishop Makar Barkhudaryants, the church was built in the 13th century.

Like a number of other religious buildings in Armenia, it was built on the site of an ancient pagan temple. This is evidenced by the remains of the former structure – in particular, the massive base of a thick column just opposite the chapel.

The terrain of the area on which the church is built is inclined. The western wall of the building is half-merged with the rock, while the eastern one is completely open. The only entrance to the church is on the southern side. The church is surrounded by a stone wall, the southeastern corner of which is crowned by a round tower.

The church was a rectangular hall structure, the arch of which is supported by four pylons. In the masonry of the walls, both hewn and semi-hewn blocks are used. The ceiling of the church was reconstructed in 1736 by Yeghan, the son of Archimandrite Ghukas, in memory of his father.

In the historical annals, there is information about a chapel that adjoined to the southwestern wall of the church, which served as the tomb of Melik Dizak Yeganyan. From the chapel-tombs and from the porch of the church, only the foundations are preserved.

Inside the church and its surroundings, a large number of beautifully processed and beautifully ornamented tombstones have been preserved.

The report on the church was prepared by Natalia Gukasyan. Photographs: www.building.am

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