If you are traveling or are on a business trip in Yerevan, it’s worth allotting time for a trip to the large temple complex of Armenia - Tatev Monastery. How to get from Yerevan? The article has this information and some facts about the monastery complex.
"Wings of Tatev"
The monastery is located just 315 km from Yerevan. The road will take no more than 4 hours. You can come by car to the monastery itself or use the world's longest heavenly highway. A unique structure, which includes modern engineering solutions - the cable car to the Tatev Monastery. The Guinness Book of Records attests that it is the longest in the world (5752 m). But not only the length of the airway is considered a record, but also the construction time. The cableway was designed by an Austrian-Swiss company and built by the Armenians in 10 months. And the Tatev’s Wings can be proud of the longest unsupported span from the 3rd support to the station. "Tatev" in 2709 meters.
"Wings of Tatev" is a picturesque sky highway connecting two villages - Halidzor and Tatev. The highest point of rise is at an altitude of 320 meters. Those who love extreme sports will enjoy a 12-minute flight in a trailer over the gorge with the turbulent Vorotan River.
History of Tatev Monastery
30 kilometers from the city of Goris, on a high cliff, almost on the edge of the gorge, is located the Tatev Monastery. When you look at it from the side, it seems that its walls are extensions of mountain rock formations. The interior of the monastery has arcuate openings and labyrinths leading to small balconies with views of the gorge and mountains. Looking down, you understand how high the monastery is, it seems that you are on the roof of the world and soar above the cliff.
From the annals it is known that on the right bank of the Vorotan, on the Tatev Plateau, there was a pagan temple, which was destroyed with the advent of Christianity.
Monastery construction
In the 9th century, the construction of the Armenian monastery complex began. The construction of the monastery took more than one century. But builders and architects maintained the harmony of the structure with the mountain landscape. Inside the monastery, household and residential premises were erected, emphasizing the rocky foundation of the monastery, and the temple towering in the center, visible from afar, gave the complex greatness. Already in the X century, the monastery became a major spiritual and political center of all of Armenia. In the XIII century, by the end of the construction of the complex, Tatev included 680 villages. A monastery is dedicated in honor of St. Eustathius.
In the XIV century, the Tatev University and a miniature school were founded on the territory of the monastery. By this time, 500 monks lived in the monastery. Besides? there lived philosophers, musicians, manuscript scribes, as well as those who received knowledge in philosophy, mathematics, and grammar. The university taught the basics of art and graphics.
It is worth noting that the monastery had a huge repository with ten thousand manuscripts - Matenadaran. The monastery was and remains the spiritual center of the Syunik diocese.
Legends about the name of the monastery
Who and when gave the name to the monastery is not known for certain. Therefore, people go around different legends on this subject. One legend says that the architect, having finished his work, threw himself into the abyss, shouting: “Lights, Surb, that tev!”, Which literally translated from Armenian means “Holy Spirit, send me wings!” According to the second legend, the apprentice jumped into the gorge, who, without the permission of the master, installed a cross on the church of the monastery. He did not have time to go down, and he was seen by an angry master. And he also jumped with the words addressed to God: “Tal Tev”, which means “give wings”.
According to some scholars, the name of the Tatev monastery is consonant with the name of St. Eustateos. There is such an option that the soul in this monastery, freed from sins, receives wings. No matter how many legends were invented and whose version was more interesting, the monastery for centuries has its own name - Tatev.
Religion of Armenia
Before visiting the temples built on the territory of the monastery, it is worth mentioning that the Armenians are Christians, but by their faith they are not Catholics or Orthodox. Almost 95% of Armenians are followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the oldest of the Christian churches. Thus, in Armenia Tatev has its own peculiarities in rites and dogma. During the service, you can sit and not spend several hours standing, as is the case in services in Orthodoxy. The interior decoration of churches is simplicity and asceticism, in contrast to decoration in Catholic and Orthodox churches.
In the monastery of Tatev, the relics of 11 apostles and the hair of the Virgin are stored. To the church of st. Peter and Paul attached a small temple of the most revered philosopher in Armenia - St. Grigor Tatevatsi. It was he who brought the relics of the apostles Peter and Paul to the monastery. The tomb of Grigor Tatevatsi, the great philosopher and theologian of Armenia, was installed in the Tatev monastery against the southern wall of the church. In 1787, the monastery built martyria with an arched ceiling and a dome over the grave of Grigor Tatevatsi. The entrance to the tomb is located at the apse of the temple.
Church of Saints Peter and Paul - Surb Pogos-Petros
At the foot of the monastery there is a trail that leads to the massive gates of the monastery, behind which stands the first church of St. Peter and Paul built in the monastery complex. Its construction lasted from 895 to 906. The severity and brevity of the structure, the crown of which is a fan-shaped dome, is striking. During the construction of the temple, the main attention was paid to the decoration, since it was the main cathedral of the Syunik principality. The stucco molding on the walls and bas-reliefs on the windows in the form of human faces and snake heads with protruding stings facing the face attracts attention. The Armenian snake has always been revered as the patroness of the home. Faded fragments of frescoes indicate that the walls were decorated with bright frescoes, but faded from time to time. The main shrine of the monastery is particles of the relics of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. They are under the columns of the altar.
Swinging column
Tatev Monastery in Armenia is famous for another monument of medieval Armenia, swinging khachkar-havazan - a staff with a stone-cross. It was installed in 904. The abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Mikael, who currently conducts services in the monastery, says that one of the old chronicles stored in the monastery says that the Arabs who destroyed the Armenian temples did not touch this miracle staff, as they could not solve it, than his secret. The column has repeatedly saved the monastery from the invasion of enemies, starting to sway. The swinging of the column is a reaction to the oscillations of the earth created by the tramp of the mass of people and horses.
For many, this seems like a miracle, but only a miracle of craftsmen, a brilliant invention of the Armenian architectural mind. The column is an assembly of many articulated stones. It has a height of 8 meters. What is the peculiarity of this column? She begins to sway when she senses the vibrations of the earth. The column is also a predictor of earthquakes. By the way, the earthquake, which partially destroyed the monastery’s buildings, could not destroy the swinging column, and it still stands in the Tatev Monastery.
There is a sundial on one of the faces of the column. They show the exact time over many centuries. Restoration and restoration work is ongoing, but the monastery is open to all comers.
Satanic Bridge
There is another miracle of Armenia near the monastery - the Satanic Bridge. This is a nature-created bridge connecting the village of Tatev with the monastery. A highway runs along it, since it is quite wide - 60 meters. The length of this bridge is 30 meters. Around the bridge there are a lot of springs; there are natural pools with warm mineral water. Under the bridge are caves painted with stalactites and emerald font baths with mineral water.
The history of each nation has its own memorable events and architectural monuments. We never cease to be amazed at the talents of architects who created unique buildings many millennia ago. It doesn't matter where you live. The planet is one. It is necessary to be able to preserve what is left to us by our ancestors, and to preserve it for future generations.