Tatevskaya Desert - an unusual place. It is located in Armenia and attracts pilgrims from all over the world for more than one or two centuries. This is one of the oldest shrines of Christianity, which is not only national but also world heritage. However, today there are more curious tourists than those who come to worship the holy places.
What is it?
Tatevskaya Pustyn is a monastery complex near the settlement of the same name, not far from the town of Goris. For many centuries this place was the center of the spiritual life of the country. The monastery was considered a concentration of special energy, power. Here lived hermits, whose cells were partially preserved to our time.
Nowadays, the Tatevskaya Desert complex Armenia is positioned as one of the main tourist attractions of the country. Now the infrastructure necessary for travelers is very developed here, there is even a private cableway.
What is the name of this place right?
ีีกีฉีฅึีซ ีกีถีกีบีกีฟ - so say the Armenians. In Russian, it sounds as follows - Tatevi Metz Anapat.
The monastery is under the jurisdiction of the diocese of the Syunik region. At the very end of the last century, the issue of ranking the Desert as a UNESCO World Heritage Site was considered. However, in view of the complexity of the political situation at that time, and it was in 1995, the issue was never resolved either positively or negatively.
How old is this monastery?
Tatevskaya Desert was founded between 895 and 906 years. The exact date cannot be determined, therefore, the official year of foundation of the monastery is considered the 906th.
The monastery appeared thanks to Ashot Suni and his wife Shushan. Ashot was the successor and brother of Vasak Ishkhanik and one of the overlords of Syunik. In addition to him, the construction of the first church in the Desert was directly related to Prince Gegharkunik Gigor Supan II and the ruler Balka Dzagik.
Although Ashot himself did not take over the throne, like his sons, the grandson of the founder of the monastery, Smbat, nevertheless became the king of Syunik. He ruled under the name Smbat First Sahakyan until 998. After the death, the First ruler of the independent Syuni kingdom was buried in a place now known around the world as the Tatev Desert. What does this say about the monastery? Only that the Desert from the very beginning had a privileged position was significant for a small medieval state. That is, it was arranged as a spiritual and cultural center.
About the significance of the monastery
Although the area is called "Tatevskaya Desert", the Syunik region in the tenth century was a very densely populated area. There were many villages, trade routes ran through, there were cities.
Many historians believe that this is what is associated with the rapid increase in the number of people living in the monastery and who were directly related to it. Already in the X century, about a thousand people lived in these walls. Of course, these were not only monks, hermits and clergymen. However, their number was considerable.
In the XIII century, the monastery already had extensive land, was a large administrative unit, and its representatives collected various taxes and taxes from residents of 680 villages. Information about this has been preserved in written sources.
Of course, the historical and cultural significance that the Tatev Desert has for Armenia and the whole world is not at all in administrative and economic affairs. At the end of the XIV century, a university was opened within these walls, which, of course, was called Tatevsky. This most important event happened in 1373. The founder of the educational and educational center in the monastery walls is considered to be Hovhannes Vorotnetsi. This man was a politician, philosopher, teacher and, of course, a clergyman.
For quite some time this university remained the only one in the region. He was not only a concentration of knowledge and a place to get an education. Arts developed at the university. For example, the famous Tatev school of miniature arose precisely because the university operated within the walls of the monastery.
A bit of monastic history
In ancient times, there was a saying that if someone or something was originally given a lot from above, then there will be not too little sorrows either. This can be fully attributed to the history of the place known as Tatevskaya Desert. By the beginning of the 15th century, not only every inhabitant of Armenia knew how to get to the monastery walls - the road to the monastery was also known outside the country. The monastery flourished from the moment of its foundation, and every year its fame only expanded, as did the wealth and influence of the monastery.
Of course, well-being could not be eternal, and it ended at the beginning of the 15th century. The year 1435 became truly โblackโ for these places, brought a lot of disasters and sorrows. The monastery was looted and burned by horsemen Muin al-Haqq wa-din Din Shahrukh, one of the sons of Tamerlane and the father of the famous medieval astronomer Ulugbek. Shahrukh was a smart and far-sighted politician, who managed to unite the management of Khorasan, a small Timurid state and Iraq. However, the state mentality did not prevent the destruction of the center of spiritual, cultural life and the place of concentration of knowledge, which was the Tatev Monastery.
The monastery did not manage to recover fully after this ruin. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the congress of the Dashnaktsutyun party or the Armenian Revolutionary Federation was held in the once holy walls. And it is precisely in the monastery walls, paradoxically, in 1921, on April 27, the decision to create the Republic of Mountainous Armenia was proclaimed.
In 1931, this area was overtaken by a natural cataclysm. A major earthquake occurred, from which, of course, not only the settlements, but also the monastery suffered. For many decades, the monastery stood in ruins, and only after the collapse of the Soviet Union did restoration work begin, which continues to this day.
What is here today?
The project for the restoration of this place is called the Tatev Revival and has a social status. This means that restoration work is carried out at the expense of investors. The initiator of this project was businessman Ruben Vardanyan, and restoration work began in 2008.
A huge historical reserve, an open-air museum, accessible for tourists to visit without any restrictions - this is what the Tatevskaya Desert today is. How to get to the complex is detailed in all Armenian tourist guides and guidebooks. The Desert is located twenty kilometers from the city of Goris, in the very center of the Syunik region. Sightseeing and regular buses go from the city to the sights, but most travelers prefer to get in a rented car or using a taxi.
How to get there?
Typically, most tourists travel to Tatev from Yerevan. In order to be in the monastery, it takes about four hours of time and the Yerevan-Stepanakert bus. He leaves the main bus station in the capital every morning. Or you can just call a taxi. The address of the Main Bus Station in Yerevan is Admiral Isakov Avenue, Building 6.
Stepanakert is the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh. You do not need to get to this city. Exit should be earlier, at a stop at the landing platform "Wings of Tatev." This is a cable car crossing the Vorotana gorge. Its length is 5752 meters, and the journey takes 12 minutes. In the cabin, 25 people can ride at a time.
Landing platforms are mini-stations. There are not only ticket offices, but also the opportunity to drink coffee, have a bite and enjoy the surrounding beauties at viewing platforms.
Another option is to walk about one and a half kilometers along a pedestrian road from the village of Syunik. In this case, you will have to get off the bus at a stop in the village. It also has hotels where you can stay.
Minibuses depart daily from the central bus station in Yerevan. Departure time:
- 8:00;
- 9 a.m .;
- 10:00;
- 11 a.m.
They wonโt take it faster, but there is less space in their salons, which makes the trip not very convenient.
The path passes along the highway connecting Yerevan and Meghri, through the famous Ararat Valley. The road connects the capital of Armenia with Iraq, but, of course, you donโt have to go that far. You need to turn off the road at a bend at the Vorotan pass, following the road sign.
What to see in the Desert?
Of course, every inch of the earth breathes history here. However, special attention when visiting this ancient place should be given to such historical and architectural monuments:
- The Church of the Holy Apostles Paul and Peter is the main monastery building, built between 895 and 906.
- Tomb of St. Grigor Tatevatsi.
- The Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, erected at the very beginning of the XIII century and replacing the chapel that suffered from the earthquake.
- The miniature โcathedralโ of the Most Holy Theotokos, which appeared in the XI century in the fortress wall above one of the ancient burials. This is the smallest of the local buildings, not only different in size, but also in architectural style from the rest.
Of course, this list of attractions does not end there. At the moment, a large number of objects have been restored in the complex. Unfortunately, the ancient underground corridor connecting the Upper and Lower Monasteries still remains littered.