I - XVII cc. - Goghtn Region, Nakhichevan (Azerbaijan)

"St. Tovma Church" © 2000 Raffi Kojian, All Rights Reserved

Among the architectural monuments of Agulis, by its construction and art, cultural cheerful life stands out st. Tovma famous convent, which is the most beautiful convent of Goghtn region. Since its foundation day, till XIXc it has been Goghtn region's constant and permanent episcop- seat convent. Abraham Kretatsi described it a "wonderful and amazing sight". And, indeed, it's a beautiful architectural complex. According to the squared beam large inscription carved in XVIIc on the st. Tovma convent's main, western entry it was founded by Bardughimeos apostle in the middle of Ic, which in 305 was supported by Grigor Lusavorich. The monument has been repaired many times throughout centuries and is mentioned in sources since the middle of XIVc.

St. Tovma convent's present complex, which was mostly repaired in XVIIc, is one of the remarkable architectural monuments of Armenia. St. Tovma convent, which is situated in Verin (upper) district of the town, like number of XVIIc complexes (Khor-Virap, Tatev Mets monastery, Anapat's Karmir convent, Lim monastery, etc) was built by rectangle, regular scheme, the only chapel of which is situated in the middle of the monastic complex. Around the chapel, along the quandrangle high and strong ramparts are built the complex' economic, dwelling, auxiliary and other constructions. Between the chapel and complex constructions there is a quite large free (30-40m) territory. So the chapel is separated from the complex constructions, adn stands freely, with its position and worshiping singnificance stressed.

St. Tovma chapel, which is a four-pillar domed basilica with a cruciform cover, was built from trimmed basalt and reddish stone. The composition of the monument consists of a large and seven-hedral senior vestry in eastern side, two sacristies and a praying-hall with a large and high interior. On the four cruciform-cut thick pillars stands the beautiful vestibule with 12 windows; it has three vaulted entries in western, northern and southern fronts (the last two are presently closed). With beautiful and light interior this chapel's senior vestry's stage's western wall, which is now destroyed, was built around 2-3, 30m long and 1-1, 30m wide ornamented marble stone.The senior vestry has bow-like joint 7 bays and is lit by the cruciform window opened in eastern wall.

The sacristies in two sides of the monument's vestry are rectangle in scheme; their bays have wide openings and finish with half-rounded arches. Inside the northern vestry, adjacent to northern and western walls, by the stony ladders built in the corner and by means of a special entry one gets to the chapel's top floor, to the roofing, to the hiding-places and storages in different parts of the sacristies, where were once kept the convent's hand-writings and sacred relics, the valuable objects. The southern sacristy of the church served for the convent as a museum, where were exhibited valuable and sacred objects, hand-writings, etc. St. Tovma chapel's cruciform pillars have a 1, 57m cut, the width of the arches of wich is 0, 97m. The flight of the arches in longitudinal part, from the vestry to the pillars forms 5, 80m , the territory between the pillars is 6, 25m, and from pillars to the western wall-pillar of the church is 4, 20m

In the transversal part from the church the arch-flight in the territory between the wall-pillars and pillars i 3, 48m and the pillar-inside flight is 6, 25m.

St. Tovma chapel's inside territory was even more stressed by highly-artistic wall-pictures, which were in 1680 painted by Shorotetsian famous artist, poet and singer Naghash Hovnatan. In the church still have preserved unharmed the wall-pictures on the vestibule, on the under-vestibule-parts and the bows of four pillars, as well as under the western entry-arch of the church. (pictures 14-18). The noticable wall-pictures and in the end of XVIIIc Agulis' school- teacher Mesrop Papazyan's description prove that the whole territory of the church-walls, below the arches, was painted yellow-goldish, and before the arches, white and skyblue shades. The church- arches and the whole ceiling were painted in bright, many- colored flower- ornaments and partly with bunched, put in vases flowers, wich had bright flower- petals. St. Tovma's wall-pictures' natural ornament- motives resemble the flower- ornaments of Naghash' miniature- art. The harmonizely organized, many-colored flowers get a unique cheerfulenss from the miniature beautiful bird-pictures.

St. Tovma's dome carries a stamp of a unique luxury. Naghash Hovnatan chapel's dome (p 16a) when watching as a sky, was wholly painted with light- blue, the six-hedral stars painted on which seem to shine and make an illusion of sky-depth for the observer. The many-colored and stylish coloring and the ornament- motives of St.Tovma dome's drum and the pillar-arches, as well as St. Christaphor church's similar wall-pictures by their style resemble Echmiadzin's Mayr chapel's wall-pictures painted by Naghash Hovnatan. The dome-area of St. Tovma's stage according to M.Papazyan's description was also painted as "a blue sky wiht stars", above the stage- pillars, the four corners ornamented the "four angels with stretched wings" and on the stage's "all stones's upper parts are carved and painted beautifully- colored cheerful pictures, on the two last ends, on engraved St. Stepanos Nakhavka's picture in a deacon's clothes".

St. Tovma's western entry is outlined by a high vault and has ornament- carved belts. Above the squared beam of the entry, under the vault, in a quadrangle circle is placed "Tovma's disbelief" high relief (p 9), where Christ is pictured in full height, with a large cross- wood in his lap, his right hand raised up, and his look points to Tovma his with spear wounded side. The latter is pictured seated end just to make sure, with his right hand he very carefully touches Christ's wound. Out of this Evangelical plot, Naghsh Hovnatan above Christ, directly under the deepening arch pictured the Father God, on the left side of the circle a fragment from Christ's life, and on the right side- Magtaghine's picture. The radiant and of woman's face sun above Christ, and the floating moon above Magtaghine give this plot- works a machine- painting evaluation. To create a solid connection between the carving and wall-pictures the painter- artist Naghash masterfully painted "Tovma's disbelief" high-relief and at first sight the carving looks like a wall-picture thanks to the coloring. These portraits in the western entry of the church, which, unfortunately are the only pieces of paintings in St. Tovma chaple created by Naghash, harmonize with architecture and its pleasant ornament belts and make it even more beautiful and solemn. The squared beam 9-line large inscription also outlines the monumentality of the entry. The wooden door of this entry, which is now in very harmed condition, used to be beautiful. The orderer's inscription over the door is also harmed. According to the latter this door in 1694 was ordered by Dasht Agulisian Astvatsatur and Khatanjan's son khoja Set.

St.Tovma chapel is also beautiful by the carving-belts and picture-carvings in northern and southern fronts, by the large inscriptions of the squared beam, by the chapels built in front of the entry.A unique impressiveness to the construction gives the carving-belt stretching along the center of the construction, to which are also joined the carving-ornaments outlined around the windows.

In front of the western entry of the church, the chapel built by two-pillar composition (p 7) has a high interior and pretty look. According to sources it was built in 1825 in the place of the former chapel. Then it was repaired with trimmed stone in 1831 thanks to Agulisian Hakhumyan family living in Shushi, then was repaied in 1904. On the heights of chapel's vaults, in the western front of the church are put 6 inscribed stones, which immortalize the 1694 repair and the names of repairing- supported 40 Agulisians, Tsghnetsians, Ramistsians and others. The northern and southern entries of the chapel, which have expressive picture-carvings and inscriptions, are also outlined with beautiful ornament-carved belts. Above the 8-line squared beam inscription of the northern wall, under the high deepening vault of the entry, on the flat and free suface is carved Poghos apostle's high-relief (p 10), who in his left hand holds a crozier- crosswood, and in the right hand a snake, under his right arm there is a Gospel. The chapel of this entry is also built from trimmed stone, by two-pillar composition. Once in the cover of the chapel has been placed a six-pillar rotunda.

The southern entry of the chapel is also noteworthy, it also has a beautiful high- relief (p 11) and a large inscription. Near the entry rom trimmed stone, on four thick pillars is built a chapel, which is situated around 2m towards west from the entry and is as far from the southern wall of the church. In the cover of the chapel (p 8) is placed the small and four-pillar rotunda. Most likely this is the chapel, which St. Tovma's leader Petros precepter in 1666 built on St. Tovma's episcop Khachatur precepter's grave. about this also evidences the XVIIc author, Agulisian Zakaria Agulistsi, mentioning that Petros precepter on Khachatur's grave "built a large chapel from trimmed stone in the southern side of the church".

Agulis' St. Tovma convent in its main scheme, along the ramparts has over 50 dwelling and comunal constructions, some of which are two-story. Most part of these buildings, built from trimmed stone and baked brick, have vaulted composition. Th convent's square and high, around 6-7m, rampart has six round towers with strategic observation posts, four in corner- sections, and two in the center (p 21) of the northern and southern longitudinal walls. The high stony corridor of the gate with a vaulted cover, that opens in the western front of the rampart takes the visitor to the western front of the chapel. The constructions built along the ramparts by their vaulted entries and windows, arched corridors and rather free yards are organically connected with the inside space of the convent.

One of Agulis' St. Tovma convent- complex' important and noteworthy monuments is its heathen temple. According to the legend in the middle of Ic Bardughimeos apostle founded the former St. Tovma convent next to a pagan heathen temple. Later, when Christianity was widely accepted, the heathen temple, as a monument of old creed, was taken into the convent- complex. Together with the convent's constructions, it, throughout ages has been repaired. Its present construction was built with St. Tovma chapel's trimmed stone and makes a pleasant impression.

St. Tovma's heathen temple (p 19) is situated in the row of convent's northern rampart, directly in the north-western side of the chapel, in 35-40m distance. It's a square- like vestry- type construction in the north-south axis. With high and light interior and vaulted composition this vestry, the whole front of which is open, is divided into two rows, with 9 bays in each row. In the northern and southern sides of the construction are situated the sacristies, the entries of which are situated in the eastern and western walls of the vestry. The vestry of the heathen temple is plastered and has probably been wall- painted. This pagan monument throughout ages has lost its former significance and has been used as Christian worshiping place.

The examination of Agulis' St. Tovma convent- constructions evidences that most part of them were generally built in XII- XIIIcc, which have been later on repaired several times, in them were added new constructions. The convent- constructions and the church in 1636 Movses catholicos' pupil, St. Tovma's leader Khachatur precepter "Repaired and founded a sacred pilgrimage of Tuma, high vaulted and dome- shape sacred church, and high rampart and four-corne cells and a kitchen, decorated and built with much efforts and difficulty".

The present ramparts and constructions of the convent were also fully repaired by Khachatur precepter's follower Petros precepter in 1668. Z. Agulisti, who was the contemporary of that repairing, mentions, that he "iniciated to enlarge the convent's D- side rampart; all the houses were from stone and earth, he brought workers from Christianeay (Vaspurakan), built remparts, bridges and other constructions with clay and stone, build sheds from brick and cement; inside there were cells and resting- rooms from trimmed stone. He built a water-pool between the ramparts. He worked very much and spent much money". The convent was also repaired in 1694, about which is evidenced as in lythographs, so in handwritten works of Agulis. For example, one memory of hand-written work of Agulis evidences that " ... ÃíÇÝ èÖÊ (in 1694) built St. Tuma's apostle church; Agulisian precepter".

The exterior expressiveness of st.Tovma convent's whole complex is also interesting. It, being placed in the dwelling district is kind of separated. Here, compared with Nakhijevan regions' XVI- XVIIcc other monuments, is more stressed the temple's fort character. It, thanks to its high and strong ramparts and powerful pyramids leaves a strategic- protective construction's impression, where many times have hid and battled part of Agulis' population. St. Tovma convent in its XVIIc main scheme, receiving ramparts added with pyramids, seems to have separated from the suddoundings, and enclosed in strong ramparts. That's why possibilities of perceiving the architectural and artistic merits of the convent are limited. But in Agulis canyon, from the dwelling houses on Vank, Verin Get, Shrnatak and other districts' high-fixed places and on slopes is outlined and percieved the general panorama of convent's inside space and chapel's architecture.

St. Tovma convent with its above- mentioned number of merits and architectural solutions, with its main scheme has an important place in the number of medieval complexes of Armenian architecture.

[Source: Agulis -by Argam Aivazian, 1984, Hayastan Press, Yerevan]

"St. Tovma Church - General View" © 2000 Raffi Kojian, All Rights Reserved

"St. Tovma Church Interior Frescoes" © 2000 Raffi Kojian, All Rights Reserved

"St. Tovma Floorplan" © 2000 Raffi Kojian, All Rights Reserved