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Questionnaires of Monuments

In accordance with an agreement signed with the RA Ministry of Culture, during the year,the researchers of the Foundation prepared survey documents for 480 monuments located

in Moks, Shatakh and Khoshab Districts of Western Armenia, which became the basis for 6volumes within the Series of Armenian Monuments Questionnaires.

The completed documentation of the Armenian monuments preserved in Gyavash, Van-Tosp, Moks, Shatakh and Khoshab Districts of Western Armenia, which started in 2010,have been handed to the Ministry of Culture in December 2012.

Research Trips

In May and June, as a continuation of the first one-month trip to Iran made in 2010, themembers of RAA carried out field work of the same duration in the Armenian settlements ofIran.

Within the program of SOS-Culture, a number of research trips were made to Shirak, Loriand Tavush Regions, RA. The details of these trips have been described in this newsletterin detail.

In September a two-week scientific expedition was made to North Caucasia (North Ossetia,Stavropol and Daghestan).

In October scientific studies were implemented in Keghi and Balu Districts of WesternArmenia. Although the trip was scheduled for a full 4 week, due to weather problems thegroup returned back in 2 weeks. Overall the results were satisfactory and the group hadreturned with several thousands new images and documented several hundred monuments

in the visited regions.

During the year, the members of RAA also made several field trips to Artsakh and Georgia.

Summary of Publications

Ani - 1050, a large-scale work published with the financial assistance of the RA Ministriesof the Diaspora and Culture;

Three Monasteries of Artaz by Dr. A. Hakhnazarian, the 15th volume of RAA ScientificResearch Series (published under the patronage of Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation);

The 5th, 6th and 7th issues of the Vardzk periodical (with the means kept in reservefrom the budget transferred by the Ministry of Culture);

Sourb Nshan Sourb Nikoghayosi Church, the first volume of the newly-founded trilingualseries of Documents of Armenian Architecture (sponsors: Mr. and Mrs. Arthur and LilySeredian, RAA-USA);

Nakhijevan. Atlas, in Armenian & English (sponsors: Mr. and Mrs. Arthur and LilySeredian, RAA-USA);

Printing-Houses in the Armenian Homeland, a large-scale map dedicated to the 500thanniversary of the first Armenian printed book (published with the means kept in reserve);

Highlights of RAA Armenia Foundations Main Activities in 2012


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A calendar for 2013 dedicated to Artaz District of Historical Armenia (published with themeans kept in reserve).

Note: In this issue you can become familiar with the details of Three Monasteries ofArtaz Sourb Nshan Sourb Nikoghayosi Church and Nakhijevan. Atlas publications

Documentary Films

Four documentaries films were produced during 2012:

Ani, Hovvi Church, A Day in Kakhetia and Moks

Recently RAA has made these films, as well as 5 other films produced in the previous years,available online at:

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAums0kAST2LBKUgJrN9uDw.

Exhibitions

Between 22 and 27 February, the Green Hall of the RA National Assembly hosted the RAAexhibition dedicated to the Armenian monuments in Turkey and Azerbaijan.

On 2 March, the Foundation presented the fruits of its 2011 activities and its plans for 2012at the ART-EXPO Exhibition, which was visited by Serzh Sargissian, President of theRepublic of Armenia.

On 30 March, the publications of RAA were shown at the exhibition held in Home Depo tTrade Centre, Yerevan.

Digital Reconstruction of Monuments (A Three-Dimensional Modeling)

The 3D digital reconstructions of a number of architectural/endangered monuments havebeen prepared. Some of them were published in Ani-1050 book, and the details of digitallyreconstructed Hovvi Church included in the related documentary film. You can view thisfilm in the following link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJpWAUzlHQI

The 3D modelling of Anis Gagkashen Church is in process: it will be presented in the film of

Gagkashen Church, the production of which is planned for early 2013.
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAums0kAST2LBKUgJrN9uDwhttp://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAums0kAST2LBKUgJrN9uDwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJpWAUzlHQIhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJpWAUzlHQIhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJpWAUzlHQIhttp://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAums0kAST2LBKUgJrN9uDw


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Trip to Byurakan and Artashavan

On October 4, 2012, the members of RAAFoundation were in Byurakan Village,

Aragatzotn Region, Armenia, together withJora Manoucherian, the President ofRAA/USA, Margrit Hakhnazarian and RubenGhalichian.

They visited St. Hovhannes and ArtavazikChurches of the village as well as the cemeteryof Artashavan, where the Founding Director ofRAA, the late Armen Hakhnazarian, reposes ina very beautiful nook of nature.

Sourb Nshan Sourb Nikoghayosi

In October, 2012, RAA Foundation published a trilingual(in Armenian, Russian & English) booklet, which presentsan overall and unbiassed history of Sourb Nshan standingin the heart of Tbilisi. The Georgian side expresses doubts

about the belonging of the church to the Armenians and itsfoundation by them; moreover, they have put forward thehypothesis that the Armenians built it over the foundationsof a Georgian Orthodox one, thus appropriating the oldGeorgian monument.

The author of the booklet, Samvel Karapetian, hopes thatit will shed new light on this long-disputed question andfinally give an exhaustive answer to it.


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Nakhijevan Atlas

In October, 2012, RAA Foundation also published a bilingual (in Armenian & English) atlasof Nakhijevan: besides maps, it also presents a short history of this historical Armenianregion and comprises lists of its Christian and Islamic monuments.

On March 16, 1921, without the participation of the Armenian side, Turkey and Russiasigned an illegal agreement under which Nakhijevan was put under the protection of

Azerbaijan. The local Armenian population was repeatedly subjected to pressure andmassacres until they were finally deported between 1988 and 1989.

Since the mid-1990s, the Armenian historical monuments situated in the territory ofAzerbaijanincluding those in the Autonomous Republic of Nakhijevan, which is under itsprotectionhave become targets of a flagrant anti-Armenian policy exercised at statelevel. The bigoted intolerance and discrimination manifested against them are getting moreand more bitter with every single passing day, as a result of which, they are endlesslysubjected to premeditated destruction.


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Research Trip to Daghestan, North Caucasia

Between September 8 and 19, 2012, theresearch team of RAA was in Daghestan, NorthCaucasia, for research into the surviving

Armenian monuments of the region. Theyparticularly worked in Makhachkala, Derbentand Ghezlar, also visiting the cemeteries andmonasteries of several Armenian villages. The

Armenian heritage preserved in the territory ofDaghestan may be classified into three groups:churches and monasteries, houses andtombstones. Tombstones heaped together in the cemetery of

Ghezlar, Daghestan

The city of Ghezlar retains three Armenianchurches and two monasteries, as well asremarkable buildings erected by Armenians

between the 19th and 20th centuries which arevery similar to the old edifices preserved in

Abovian Street, Yerevan, RA.

Sts. Poghos-Petros (Sts. Peter & Paul) Churchof Makhachkala, which traces back to the mid-19th century, has turned into a shop.

One of the mosques of Derbent used to be anArmenian church formerly. The city retainsSourb Amenaprkich (Holy Saviour) Church,

which is a domed building with a belfry in frontof its entrance. There are a lot of Armenianhouses in the city, but regretfully, they are nolonger inhabited by Armenians.

The formerly Armenian-populated village ofMolla Khalil preserves a church built in the siteof the grave of St. Grigoris, St. Gregory the

Sourb Amenaprkich Church of Derbend

Enlighteners grandson. The local Armeniangraveyard preserves only 2 tombstones.

The Armenian cemetery of Bilij retains only asingle gravestone, whereas Rostom BekYerznkiants, who visited the place in 1857,counted 40 inscribed cross-stones there.

RAA Foundation continues research into theremnants of the Armenian heritage ofDaghestan and will soon present its results tothe public at large.

Sourb Amenaprkich Church of Derbend

The Armenian church of Molla-Khallil


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A Few Pages from RAAs Activities Diary in 2012

As it was presented in our previous newsletter RAA has become one of the co-partners ofthe Armenian Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC) in theimplementation of the SOS Program Aimed at the Preservation of Endangered Cultural

Assets in the Remote Regions of Armenia and Georgia (the program is to be completed in2013).

Berdavan, Tavush Region. S. Karapetian delivering a talk on Armenian monuments for the local pupils

This summer the members of RAA continued their work within the project and carried outstudies in Tavush and Lori Regions, Republic of Armenia. Below follows a brief account oftheir activity as described in their diary:

6:30 a.m., June 26. Samvel takes photographs of the monastery ofVaragavank, after whichthe team is joined by the pupils of Varagavan and their teacher Sargis Grigorian. Samvelgives a short lectureon the history of the monastery, guided by the strong conviction thatyou get more attached to your land and its heritage when you have enough knowledgeabout them.

The RAA mission of disseminating knowledge on the Armenian Homeland and differentissues of its history continues at the school of Varagavan with the show of twodocumentaries produced by the Film Department of the Foundation: Mr. Petros of Varagand Cultural Genocide.

The prolific working day comes to an end at Kaptavank, another monastery which isphotographed and measured.

June 27. The team visits Shekhmurat Monastery, which stands outside the village ofTzaghkavan. As usual, Samvel and his team harness themselves to fieldwork(photographing, measuring, specification of geographical coordinates): the harvest turnsout quite rich including a number of important inscriptions and photographs of several cross-

stones.


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On the same day, the members of RAA and the pupils of Varagavan visit the village site ofHakhum, which preserves a three-apse church (it is photographed and measured). Somework is also carried out in the cemetery of the village site, the pupils being witness to, andsometimes participating in, this work.

The team of RAA says good-bye to the pupils and starts for the monastery of Morodzor in

Tzerviz (Lusahovit) Village, Ijevan District.

Morodzoro Monastery

The rainy weather forces the group temporarily cease working and return to Yerevan.Research in the region of Tavush continues from July 13 until 16. This time the firstdestination is the village ofBerdavan, where a meeting is held with the local pupils and theirteacher of geography, Zhora Niazian. S. Karapetian delivers a talk on Armenianmonuments, after which the children watch the documentaries Mr. Petros of Varag andKhnus. Later the group visits a village site with a cemetery of numerous ornate cross-stones which retains a chapel, a standing winged cross and a semi-ruined uni-nave church.Work is also carried out in the fortress of Berdavan, which preserves its secret watertunnel.

S. Karapetian and the pupils of Berdavan with theirteacher at Ghalenjakar Castle not far from Berdavan

At the church village of Ghalacha near Berdavan


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9 a.m., July 14. Another short lecture is delivered at the spring of Sirush running on the wayto St. Sargis Monastery of Dovegh. Architect Ashot Hakobian measures the monasticchurch with the students active help.

Hnevank, Lori St. Sargis Monastery of Dovegh in the territory of BerdavaS. Karapetian measuring the monastic church with thestudents help

Fieldwork is then carried out in Meshkavank, located near the village of Koghb, and thevillage site of Upper Voskepar: here a watch tower and a single-span bridge arephotographed.

14:25 p.m. The group reaches the Armenian Chalcedonian church of Sevshen(Gharakyand) Village Site, which is measured and photographed.July 18. The research program of RAA continues in Lori Region. The group works in achurch located at the edge of the village of Jiliza (it was exploded in the 1930s, and onlyits southern vestry is preserved standing) and in the village site of Karmragegh preservedin a forest in the vicinity of Jiliza. It retains a semi-destroyed church and a graveyard north ofit, on the opposite side of the gorge.

July 19. A lecture is given for the students of the Crafts School of Alaverdi Town,accompanied with the show of the documentaries Mr. Petros of Varagand Khnus.

After the lecture, the members of RAA take the pupils to Sanahin Monastery, whereSamvel gives them some information on its history. They even read several inscriptionstogether.

Sanahin Monastery, Lori. Samvel telling the pupils about the monastery


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July 26. Studies in Lori are resumed, and the monastery of Sedvi is partially measuredand photographed.

The members of RAA and their Georgian colleagues visit and measure a 7th-centurychurch in Kurtan Village.

Vardablur is the next village where architectural studies are carried out. It has threechurches two of which are ruined, and only one functions.16:10 p.m. The team reaches the fortress of Lore, which they photograph almostthroughout an hour.

18:50 p.m. The group is in Lernantsk Village, which has a 19th-century church with acemetery.

July 27. Architect Ashot Hakobian measures the monastery of Upper Horomayr early in themorning.

11:40 a.m. The Armenians and Georgians are already in the church of St. Gregory the

Enlightener, Dsegh, after which they continue their work in Karasnits Monastery.

14:35 until 17:15 p.m. The researchers of both nations conduct studies in St. GrigorMonastery of Bardzrakash near Dsegh Village.18:05. A visit to the cemetery of Dsegh, which is rich in cross-stones and retains a ruineduni-nave church.

July 28. Samvel and Ashot complete the measurement of the monastery of Sedvi, afterwhich they photograph and measure a watch towerlocated not far from it.

12:45 until 13:45 p.m. The group is again in the region of Tavush, to be more exact, inSourb Astvatzatzin Church (1675) in Ajarkut Village, Ijevan District.

14:15 p.m. Samvel and Anush Hambardzumian visit Kirants Monastery of Ajarkuttogether with the Georgian researchers.

This being the last day of the expedition, the members of RAA returned to Yerevan toresume office work.


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Georgia Trip

The readers of our newsletter already know that in2011 the European Community, represented by theDelegation of the European Union to Armenia,awarded a grant to the Armenian Foundation for the

Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC)for the implementation of the SOS Program, and RAAhas been selected by the latter for the fulfillment ofwork on behalf of the Armenian side. The program isaimed at the preservation of endangered culturalassets in the remote regions of Armenia and Georgiawith the involvement of the local youth.

Within this project, the members of RAA made 3research trips to Georgia in April, May and July 2012.Indeed, it is impossible to present a detailed account

of all these expeditions within just an article, but weshall dwell on some of the most importantdestinations of the work of RAA.

The Georgian church erected in the site of KhojivankCemetery

Regretful as it is, many of these destinations aredestroyed or Georgianised Armenian churches andmonasteries as the Armenian historical heritage ofGeorgia is continually threatened with annihilation orappropriation. What is especially noteworthy, all

these acts are carried out at state level.

Khojivank Cemetery

In April the research team of the Foundation workedin a number of Armenian monuments in the capitalof Georgia (Echmiatznetsots St. Gevorg Churchin Havlabar; Shamkoretsots Sourb AstvatzatzinChurch standing in the centre of the same quarter;Dzorabashi St. Gevorg Church situated at theedge of a gorge lying on the bank of the Kur at thesouthern extremity of Havlabar; Sourb Nshan (HolySign) Church in Sololak, etc.) and in some districtssuch as Marneul, Gardaban, Metskhet, etc.

Work was also carried out in Ananur Village, DushetDistrict, Kartli, where the remnants of an exploded

Armenian church were measured.

The Georgianised Sourb Astvatzatzin Church ofNasomkhar

The research team of RAA worked in the graveyard of Dushet City, which retains thechapel of St. Gevorg.


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Ever searching for remnants of Armenian cultural heritage, the members of RAA also wentto see the foundations of the once standing church of Sourb Astvatzatzin in Dushet City.The next destination of the team was the church of St. Gregory the Enlightener in MukhranVillage, Metskhet District. They also visited the graveyard of Mukhran, where the church ofSt. Gevorg stands.

Among the most important sites visited was the Pantheon of Khojivank (the cemetery of

the same name was levelled to the ground in the 1930s, with the human remains scatteredin all directions). In the 1990s the site of the graveyard was used for the construction of theGeorgian church of Sameba (Holy Trinity). The Pantheon retains the tombstones ofprominent Armenian writers Raffi, Hovhannes Tumanian and Gabriel Sundukian.

One of the Armenian sanctuaries appropriated by the Georgians is St. Gevorg Monasterystanding about 300 metres north-west of Telet Village, Gardaban District. Other Armenianmonuments of the district which shared this fate are Sourb Astvatzatzin (Holy Virgin)Church located within about 200 metres of St. Gevorg Monastery; St. Sargis Church ofTzavkis Village (it was erected with A. Mantashians sponsorship) and Tziranavor Sourb

Astvatzatzin in Shindis Village (its trilingual /Armenian, Russian & Georgian) constructioninscription has been destroyed). Inside the church, the tombstones with Armenian epitaphs

were hidden under carpets, but the team succeeded in taking photos of them.The members of RAA also visited Sourb Yerrordutiun (Holy Trinity) Church in the Armeniancemetery of Telav City, the city site of Grem in Kakhetia and the village site of Nasomkharlying in a gorge south of the city of Seghnakh. It is interesting to note that Nasomkhar istranslated from Georgian as meaningA Place where Armenians lived.

The local church of Sourb Astvatzatzin wasrenovated and Georgianised in 2010. The twoGeorgian clergymen serving there presented afalsified history of the monument abounding in liesregarding its appropriation and the destruction of itscemetery. It turned out that its surviving gravestones

serve as supporting stones for the small dwelling ofthese clergymen (they were photographed in situ asearly as the 1980s).

A tombstone from the cemetery of Sourb AstvatzatzinChurch of Nasomkhar serving as a support for thesmall dwelling of the Georgian clergymen

During the fieldwork carried out in July, the membersof RAA also organized an open-air film watching inDamia Village, Marneul District, with the show ofthe RAA documentaries Mr. Petros of Varag, Khnusand Jugha. These films pursue the aim of providing

the local villagers, and particularly, schoolchildrenwith knowledge on issues regarding Armenianhistory.

As usual, the team of RAA returned from Georgiawith a rich harvest which is still to be studied anddocumented properly.


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Vardzk No. 7 Quarterly Periodicals

Vardzk No. 7, The 7th issue of theVardzk periodical (A4 format, 64 pages,in coloured print), published for theperiod between July and September,dwells on issues of history, archaeologyand architecture that have not been everraised so far or have been touched ononly superficially. The articles comprisingthe issue are: The Excavations in DadMonastery in 2008; Newly-FoundRecords on the Foundation andConstruction of Khatravank; A Newly-Found Cross-Stone (910) Fragment from

Khotakerats Monastery; The SecondMassacre of Agulis; Forgotten Khne;Mren and Its Monuments.The articles are illustrated with a greatnumber of photographs, measurementsand maps. Vardzk No. 7 has beenprepared and published with the financialassistance of the Ministry of Culture ofthe Republic of Armenia.

THREE MONASTERIES OF ARTAZ

This work dwells on three Armenianmonasteries situated in AtropateneProvince, Persia: Thaddeus the Apostle,Tzortzor and St. Stephen the Proto-Deacon.

This province, which is the historicalArmenian district of Artaz, used to have agreat number of Armenian-inhabited

villages, churches, cemeteries, castlesand bridges which have not been studiedproperly yet.

The author of the book, ArmenHakhnazarian, dedicated it to his fatherHovhannes Hakhnazarian's ever livingmemory.


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RAA Foundations Board of Trustees First Meeting

First official meeting of the Board of Trustees of the newly established RAAFoundation (Armenia) was held on Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at 4pm at theRAA offices. The majority of the board members were present in the meeting(except Mr. Marco Brambilla and Mr. Moushegh Lalayan). Mr. Lalayan has givenhis proxy to Jora Manoucherian for voting on any decisions to be made in themeeting. Having a quorum the Board proceeded with the Agenda, which resultedto the following main decisions:

1- The plans and budget for 2013 were presented and approved by the Board.2- The need of a new property for offices was discussed and different options

have been proposed. Mr. Narek Sargsyan and Mr. Artashes Kakoyanvolunteered to explore different options for obtaining a property for the useof RAA offices.

3- The officers of the Board of Trustees have been elected/assigned as follow:

Jora Manoucherian (Chairman)Roubik Galichian (Vice-Chairman)

Artashes Kakoyan (Secretary)Margrit HakhnazarianNarek SargsyanMoushegh LalayanMarco Brambilla