Monastic School :: ARTSAKH HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

Monastic School 1872 y․

Azerbaijan / Northern Artsakh / Dashkesan / Khachakap

Historical Introduction

Even before the foundation of its school, Targmanchats Monastery played an important educational role for the adjacent villages. Actually, “…over many centuries, it was the only institution of enlightenment throughout the nearby villages.”

“Ardzagank,” 1885, No. 4, p. 56.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 193.

1872 y․

Founded in 1872, the monastic school functioned until the Tsarist order of closing all the Armenian schools throughout the Russian Empire in 1885. As attested by a record, “In the same year, that institution taught Religion and Conduct of Divine Service to those poor adults who could not afford to attend Echmiatzin Jemaran or any diocese school.”

“Meghu Hayastani,” 1875, No. 11, p. 2.
National Archives of Armenia, fund 56, list 6, file 775, p. 9.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, pp. 193-194.

From the very beginning of the school’s activity, its only teacher was Prior Theodoros Shirakuny, who taught Classical and Modern Armenian, as well as Conduct of Public Worship, Arithmetics and Russian there.

“Ardzagank,” 1885, No. 4, p. 56.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 194.

Gandzak inhabitant N. Ter-Nersissiants, who held the school under his custody, was of immense instrumentality in its preservation.

“Murj,” 1896, Nos. 10-11, p. 1433.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 194.

1878 y․

The educational level of the institution was rather low, which was proved during the diocese inspector’s visit to the monastery and his examination of some pupils: “When we arrived there, the prior was absent: we were told he had gone to Gandzak to raise some money. We saw only two boarding pupils who told us that their school had about thirty pupils coming from Khachakap Village (a local priest whom we had taken there with us confirmed it). As I wanted to get some idea about the educational level of the institution, I found it expedient to examine the aforementioned boarders. They were between 14 and 15 years old and had been studying there for already three years, as far as I remember. The examination - it was not difficult at all - revealed that the pupils had only satisfactory knowledge of the Armenian language. They were even worse at writing (we dictated them a few sentences) and had rather poor command of Arithmetics so that they proved unable to solve the simplest problems up to forty…”

“Mankavarzhakan Tert,” 1878-1879, pp. 10-11.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 194.

Catholicos of All Armenians Makar Teghuttsy I and school custodian N. Ter-Nersissiants intended to open a central monastic school in the monastery: “They make every possible endeavour to establish a two year monastic school which is planned to have a crafts department for adults, indeed, if the founders can afford to constantly sustain it. For that purpose, the condition of the monastic dominions should be improved so that they will yield permanent income, thus sparing the sanctuary the trouble of pinning all its hopes on fund-raising and unstable sources of income.”

“Ardzagank,” 1885, No. 4, p. 56.
National Archives of Armenia, fund 56Պ, list 18, file 31, p. 97.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 194.

Besides, it was decided to “convey iron water-pipes from Tzaghkadzor, situated within 200 sazhens, to the plain adjoining the monastery of Harants Takht (the pipeline could not stretch via the sandy soil in any other way) and build a big reservoir there. It was also found necessary to extend a cart-road from Banants Village, located within 8 to 9 versts, up to the monastery. That would finally secure the future existence of the cloister, its two-year school, workshop and monastic community without any donations which were not always easy to receive...”

National Archives of Armenia, fund 56, list 18, file 31, p. 98.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 194.

However, the curtailment of the income received from the monastic estates and some other factors hindered the foundation of the aforementioned school.

Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 194.

Inscription, Armenian, Engraved, Commemoration 1872 y․

The facade of the school building was engraved with the following inscription:
This spiritual school opened under Father Superior Theodoros Shirakuny in the year 1872.

The Armenian original published in: “Ardzagank,” 1886, No. 21, p. 309.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 194.

In the 1870s, the activity of the institution represented the following picture:

Dates	Teachers	Schoolboys	Notes	Source
1873		20		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3862, p. 68; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 194.
1874	1		Parish school for males	National Archives of Armenia, fund 56, list 3, file 52, p. 28; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 194.
1875	1	40		National Archives of Armenia, fund 56, list 3, file 52, p. 45; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 194.
1876	1	40	Another source reports 20 pupils for the same year (“Meghu Hayastani,” 1876, No. 40, p. 3).	National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3850, p. 52; fund 56, list 3, file 62, p. 46; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 194.
1878	1	30		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3850, p. 178; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 194.