Geghard monastery is located in Ararat Province and is believed to date back to the fourth century, when a small cave church was excavated from the rock around a spring. It was expanded throughout the middle ages and the monastery today dates from the thirteenth century, with the rebuilding commencing in 1215. The name Geghard refers to the Holy Lance that pierced the side of Christ and appears to have linked to the site from the time of its rebuilding in the thirteenth century. Today the fact that Geghard is a UNESCO World Heritage site relatively close to Garni means that it is a centre of tourism as well as pilgrims. Although there is nothing remaining of the ancient monastery, the site is included here to offer evidence that there was cave monasticism in Armenia, even if it does not appear to have been as widespread a practice as in Georgia.
Creator
Emma Loosley
Date of Visit
11th August 2017
Contributor
Emma Loosley
Peter Leeming
Rights
Metadata and all media released under Creative Commons
unless otherwise indicated
Type
Architecture
Tags
Architecture, Armenia, C13th, C4th, Cave, Church, Geghard, Holy Lance, Monastery, UNESCO
Collection
Comparative Armenian Ecclesiastical Monuments
Citation
Emma Loosley, “Geghard,” Architecture and Asceticism, accessed November 21, 2024, https://architectureandasceticism.exeter.ac.uk/items/show/849.