006
38° 06' 52" N
42° 50' 03" E
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Monastery of the Holy Savior of Mogs or of Dzëbad

(Mogats Amenap‘rgtchi ou Dzëbadi Vank‘)
Monastery of the Holy Savior of Mogs or of Dzëbad
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The monastery of the Holy Savior or desert of Mogs stands east of Mogs [Bahçesaray] above the village of A(s)dijants [***] at an altitude of 2,300m, and at 38° 07’ N and 42° 49’ E; it is situated at one end of a small valley that feeds into the Ardshnutzor or Ardnshutzor Valley [Arınç Dere], which in turn runs through the Nar pass from Mogs to Shadakh [ Çatak ].

One tradition recorded in the synaxarion relates that the Three Kings, carrying a lock of the child Jesus’ hair, came through this canton – Arantznag Mogs – the lower part of which for this reason became known as Ark‘ayits Kavar, or “Canton of the Kings”; and that Gaspard, one of the Kings, was buried on the site of this ancient monastery. We know it is ancient because it is already attested in the 10th century, under the name of Dzëbad. Later it is mentioned under the name of the Holy Savior, in 1369, 1395, 1413, 1421, 1423 and 1425. At that time, the monastery was a working scriptorium, especially during the long reign of Abbot John the Charitable (Hovhannes Aghk‘adasser, † after 1421). This activity continued until the 17th century, as attested by the manuscripts produced there in 1548 and 1604. In 1570 the main monastery church, the Holy Mother of God, was restored by the then prior, Nerses. The second church, dedicated to the Holy Precursor, probably built between 1369 and 1395, was restored in 1704 on the initiative of Prior David (Tavit‘). In modern times, the monastery of the Holy Savior was the seat of the primates of Mogs and answered to the Catholicosate in Aght‘amar (see n° 17). It was the site of a large pilgrimage on the feast of Pentecost. Father Hovhannes was superior in the 1870s. Subsequently a local bey appropriated the monastery’s possessions.

The monastery of the Holy Savior of Mogs or of Dzëbad includes:

(A) The church of the Holy Mother of God, a long single-vessel nave with one apse, measuring 20.6 × 8.4 m, a saddleback roof and three transverse arches that, together with the triumphal arch, delimit a double series of four high lateral niches under arches;

Abside, 1970 (Fonds N. et M. Thierry).

(B) A narthex measuring 10.1 × 11.1m, with four central pillars and a dome, built before 1395, extending to the west of the church of the Holy Mother of God at an angle of 15°;

(C) The church of the Holy Precursor church, a single-vessel nave with transverse arches, measuring 9.8 × 5m and abutting the south wall of the narthex, built later between 1369 and 1395.

• Convent buildings, damaged at the end of the 19th century.

Plan (Thierry, 1989, 410)

In addition, the monastery owned water mills and oil presses, plow lands and woods.

The monastery of the Holy Savior was confiscated after the Great War and left empty. In the 1970s, the buildings were still standing; in particular the roof of the main church was intact, even though the tops of the sidewalls were damaged; the dome of the narthex let in light. Since then, the whole complex has deteriorated considerably. In 2009 the vault had already collapsed in several places and there were large holes in the west façade above the narthex, the front of which also lacked its roof.

Oskian, 1940-1947 , III [1947], 815-821. Thierry, 1989, 407-411. Devgants, 1991, 174.

006
38° 06' 52" N
42° 50' 03" E
Monastery of the Holy Savior of Mogs or of Dzëbad
Մոկաց Ամենափրկչի կամ Ծպատի վանք
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007
Monastery of the Holy Mother of God or Ardzwaper Monastery
005
Arkelan Monastery or Monastery of Saint Stephen in Pergri
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