Nightscape view of a magnificent 13 c. Armenian apostolic cathedral, monastery Gandzasar, under stars with the Milky Way galaxy in the backgroun
Gandzasar (Armenian: Գանձասար)[a] is a 13th-century Armenian Apostolic cathedral (historically a monastery) near the village of Vank in the Martakert Province of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh. It has historically been the region's most important church since its foundation. One of the finest pieces of Armenian architecture of the mid-1200s, the building is best known among scholars for its richly decorated name Gandzasar, which means "treasure mountain" in Armenian, is believed to have originated from the tradition that the monastery was built on a hill containing ores of silver and other metals. The site was first mentioned in written records by the tenth century Catholicos Anania of Moks (r. 946-968),[8] who listed Sargis, a monk from Gandzasar, among the participants of a 949 council convened in Khachen to reconcile Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian Armenians. Khachkars dated 1174, 1182, and 1202 have been found around the monastery, which also point to the existence of a church or monastery at the site.
Size: 6346px × 4119px
Location: Artsakh
Photo credit: © Vahagn Shahnazaryan / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: ancient, architecture, armenian, artsakh, background, beautiful, cathedral, church, culture, dark, galaxy, heritage, historic, landmark, landscape, light, milky, monastery, nature, night, religion, sky, stone, tourism, travel
