A Vision of Serene beauty

“What’s ahead?” I ask a young man standing by the stone.
“The church, of course; the Church of St. Pakas,” he calmly replies, adding “Are you sick?”
“Why?” I wonder. “Does the church heal?”
“No,” he says, “but the spring is salubrious.”
“And what kind of illnesses does the water cure?” I continue.
“All kinds. And for good. They say those who can be cured are cured right away. And those who are fated to die from their illness die immediately right by the spring, without any suffering. So, want to take your chances?” he asks me.
“No thanks,” I tell him. “I suppose I’d rather suffer a bit longer…”
We turn to the right, and there it is: Noravank, the last masterpiece of the eminent architect and sculptor. This light and yielding stone from which the monastery was built is known these days as “the Stone of Momik.” This is where we should pause and go back in time. This was a sacred place, and it did not stand empty when the architect Momik appeared at the invitation of Grand Prince Orbelian, who, by that time, had gained control over both the secular and religious realms.

Back in the fourth and fifth centuries, two churches stood here – St. Karapet and St. Pakas. The new one was built on the grounds of the first church, which was destroyed by an earthquake in the 9th century. It was given the same name and its ruins are presently found on the monastery’s territory.

The worried voice of the driver unexpectedly brought us back from our thoughts: near Vokhchaberd Village, the road sagged almost three meters (10 feet) — landslides. “They try everything, but the soil keeps sinking. You cannot speed up here…” Passing a couple more such sagging roads, we drove into the settlement of Garni, and of course, to Garni Temple. The direction sign, which is hardly noticeable, along with the road leading to the temple, looks like an ordinary rural side street. It is therefore important to pay attention when driving by at high speeds.

It is a secure fortress on rocky peak with vertically chiseled mountain sides and peaks under a cloak of snow. A bright and boundless panorama of orchards and a multicolored field of carpets extend from the fortress to the very edge of the horizon.

From the 3rd century B.C.E. to the 4th century A.C.E., the impregnable fortress Garni served as a summer residence for many Armenian kings. We get out of the car and serenely walk around the area, examining and getting accustomed to the strange combination of Armenian landscape and Greco-Roman architecture.

The interior facilities of the Saghmosavank Church are unlike those of traditionally ascetic Armenian churches, because certain parts of the interior walls are covered by red and black stones, and some are painted white, yellow and red.

Once you exit the temple and turn around the corner — the view takes your breath away! It is because the complex is built virtually on the cliff of the Kasakh River gorge — a natural formation so formidable that even we (and we are not afraid of heights) approached the precipice with great caution…and for a good reason! There are few places in Armenia where one can observe the gradual transformation of the mountains into valleys. This is one of them — Aragatsotn’s gradual descent becomes Ararat Valley.

It all started back in 839, when the bishop David acquired from the Great Syunik Prince Philippe the village Tatev and moved the diocesan residence there. Twelve centuries had passed when, high in the mountains of Zangezur, the largest monastery land owning emerged – far from major roads and practically inaccessible for enemy incursions. The favorable strategic location contributed to the establishment of powerful reinforcements. The monastery, encircled by thick walls, rises on a trianglar table of land right above a rocky vertical slope that falls steeply into the gorge…

There are many ways that I could have answered the question: I could have called up a friend of mine who is a historian, or even done the research myself. The best way, of course, was to travel to Oshakan, just 30 kilometers away from Yerevan.