Saint Karapet Monastery, Armenian Apostolic monastery in Ararat Province, Armenia
Saint Karapet Monastery consists of a domed church, a bell tower, a chapel and a burial vault within a walled enclosure. The church, built of tan stone, has a round drum and a pointed roof; its west portal carries a relief of the Virgin and Child flanked by angels, carved by Sargis Vardapet. The chapel and bell tower stand west of the church, the latter with a ruined pillared dome.
An inscription records that the Orbelian family founded the monastery in the early 14th century as their dynastic burial ground. The church itself was built in 1301 by Gontsa, wife of Prince Jalal, son of Prince Tarsayich Orbelian, with Kirakos Vardapet Getketsi as founder and But as architect. A 1593 inscription shows the monastery standing, a 1725 one shows it ruined and abandoned; the 1679 earthquake destroyed it and nearby monasteries. Buildings of 1896–1898 suggest a brief late-19th-century restoration.
The church's west portal carries a relief of the Virgin and Child flanked by angels, with Adam above and the Evangelists' symbols around; an inscription names its sculptor, Sargis Vardapet. Inside lies a large stone carved with an eagle holding a ram, the emblem of the Proshyan family.
The monastery stands 6 km southwest of Lusashogh village, in the abandoned settlement of Moshaghbyur on the northern slope of the Urts mountains, on the right side of the Vedi–Lusashogh road. The last stretch is dirt track; the church, gavit and bell tower are reached on foot through the walled yard. The floor of the gavit is covered with rubble, so watch your step inside.
The church's founder was the monk Kiragos Getketsi and its architect But; an inscription on the west portal says the relief of the Virgin and Child, with Adam above and the evangelists' zodiac signs, was carved by the monk Sargis. A large fallen stone inside the church bears the Prishyan family crest: an eagle with a ram in its talons.
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