The church of Saint Stephen in P‘rkhus

P‘rkhus [Ovakışla] is located west of Khlat‘ [Ahlat], at 38° 49’ N and 42° 19’ E, not far from Lake Nazig [Nazik], on the right bank of the river that flows down from this little stretch of water to Lake Van. Saint Stephen’s church stands in the middle of the village and serves the parish.

Plan (Thierry, 1989, p.220)

Saint Stephen’s is a large basilica, 16.6 × 14.9 m, with two central pillars, three naves and two bays, surmounted by two cupolas without drums arranged along the central nave. In the apse, five niches have been carved out under arches. In addition to the five medallions on the lintel of the main door, two serpents are represented in the right-hand section of the west façade, probably in a tutelary role. The church’s architecture links it to certain 17^th-century Armenian constructions, a type attested further to the east. Although not part of the original foundation inscription, which is believed to have been hammered out, the year 1672 that can be seen on the monument supports this dating. The memory of a building having been constructed by the whole village under the guidance of the churchmen was still alive in the 19^th century. The church of Saint Stephen replaced an earlier building, no doubt destroyed in an earthquake, of which at least one piece of molding was re-utilized in the east façade.

Nef latérale sud, 2012 (Coll. P. Maguesyan).

Confiscated after the Great War, this monument was in relatively good condition in the 1970s, despite an already-damaged roof. It has recently been converted to a mosque, but a sign identifies it as the church of Saint Stephen.