Harichavank is a monastery complex about 35 minutes outside of Gyumri. It may seem like I have visited more churches over two months in Armenia than I have in all my life previously, and this is likely true (even after three months in Europe and nearly two years in Latin America). Armenia’s churches are plethoric.
Ani, the former Armenian capital (not of the modern day republic, but of the medieval empire), was known as the city of one thousand churches. It’s still possible to visit the ruins of Ani, which now straddle the (closed) Turkish-Armenian border. On the Armenian side, foreigners need permission to visit. It’s possible to get this in Gyumri, but not, it turns out, during municipal elections (which was the case when I was in the area). You can also visit from the Turkish side, but if you do, I suggest you do so with an Armenian tour guide, since Ani was an Armenian city. A Turkish tour guide will give you a history of the city, but it may not be entirely accurate. Or it may just be completely made up.
There are two reasons why I continued to visit churches throughout my time in Armenia. (On my last full day there, I even took a tour that included four churches.) First, old churches are usually out in the countryside, so visiting them is an excuse to get out and see the landscape. More importantly, though, Armenian churches in particular are full of fascinating history and cultural information. I admit if I’d wandered around in them on my own, I wouldn’t have picked up on a lot of this. A good tour guide, however, who really knows the history of a church, can spin out all the legends and quirks of the building and the religious relics housed there.
Harichavank, for example, is one of the largest religious centres in the country. The oldest parts date back to at least the 600s. The monastery is a patchwork of history, with different parts renovated and restored in different eras. The 1926 earthquake significantly damaged the building, the 1988 quake not as much. Parts were added during different centuries.
The circular details around the top dome represent the belt of the king who commissioned the church, and the ridged top of the dome represents his crown. The design and artistic detail over the main door reflect a Muslim influence not typical in Armenian architecture. Inscriptions carved in the walls commemorate the renovations and the king or emperor who ordered them.
According to my Harichavank guide, when Mongol invaders came through the region, they attempted to destroy the church by cutting through the main pillars. While they succeeded in destroying the pillars, the church remained standing – the pillars, it turned out, were not structurally significant and the army left in defeat. The repair to the pillars is still obvious.
There are also narrow chambers with low ceilings above the main cathedral. This is where priests would come for isolation, sometimes for months at a time, to absolve themselves of sin. The chambers aren’t visible, so I wouldn’t have learned about this if not for my tour guide.
Off to the right is a chapel that separated during an earthquake and is now suspended on an outcropping. People got the idea that if they made a wish and successfully tossed a rock into the open door of this chapel, the wish would come true, but the priests put up a sign describing this as sinful. The little chapel, now inaccessible, stands as an emblem of Armenia’s special brand of of stubborn endurance.
Travels in Armenian summer 