Gandzasar monastery, Religious monastery in Kalbajar District, Azerbaijan.
Gandzasar monastery is a fortified complex in Martakert Province with a Cathedral of St. John the Baptist at its center. Residential buildings for monks and a bell tower complete the courtyard, which is surrounded by thick stone walls.
Prince Hasan Jalal founded the complex in the early 13th century as a religious center for the region. About two hundred years later, it became the seat of the Catholicosate of Albania, gaining ecclesiastical importance.
The name Gandzasar means "treasure mountain" in Armenian, from a tradition that the hill held silver and other metal ores. The church is also called Surb Ovanes Mkrtich, after John the Baptist, whose head is said to be buried in its tomb, brought from Cilician Armenia during a crusade. The cathedral was consecrated on July 22, 1240, the Feast of the Transfiguration, before some 700 priests.
A winding mountain road leads to the complex, which sits about an hour's drive from Martakert. The courtyard is usually accessible, but it's wise to watch for slippery stones during rain.
The gavit was begun in 1240 and finished in 1266 by Atabek, son of Hasan Jalal, and his wife Mamkan. Inside, an inscription above the baptismal font records that construction of the church ran from 1216 to 1238. The dome's sixteen-sided drum carries carved ornament that the scholar A. L. Yakobson compared to a jeweller's setting.
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