Tegher Monastery is located near the village of Tegher, in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. St. Astvatstatsin church of the monastery and its western gavit (Armenian: գավիթ, narthex) were built in 1213-1232 for Mamakhatun, the wife of Prince Vache Vachutian. The architect of the monastery was Aghbayrik. 

The church has a cruciform, domed structure. A central tall round drum rests above it with a tent style dome. The church is modestly decorated. According to the inscription of one of the columns, the gavit was built in 11 years (its construction was finished in 1232). Gavit was really huge.  It is a large central-plan with four large columns.  The church is built from basalt. Both church and gavit are modestly decorated.  

Northern and south-western domed chapels of gavit are unique and new in the Armenian architecture, due to these chapels the monastery looks like a three domes silhouette. These chapels are connected with  the commemoration of the memory of the dead. They have parallels with the structure of 2 storey mausoleum-churches, which were widely spread in that period. 

In 1467 Sargis vardapet (Armenain: վարդապետ, archimandrite) Byurakantsi built the wall of the monastery.  In 1948 Tegher Monastery was damaged by an earthquake. In 1950-1952 the domes of the chapels and the roof of the church were reconstructed. In 1975-1976  the cornice and the upper part of gavit were reconstructed.

 

     

 

                                                          

Source: Encyclopedia of «Christian Armenia», editor in chief Hovhannes Ayvazyan, Yerevan, 2002, page 712-713. (in Armenian).

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