Koshk Chapel :: ARTSAKH HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

Koshk Chapel

Azerbaijan / Northern Artsakh / Khanlar / Koshk

Location

The remains of the aforementioned chapel can be found on the edge of the ancient road of Murut-Hajishen extending through a thick forest, hardly a kilometre south of Koshk.

Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 401.

Historical Introduction

They include the inscribed tympanum of a medieval church together with the fragments of several ornate khachkars. Unfortunately, this place, known by the name of Koshki Matur, i.e. ‘Chapel of Koshk,’ was frequented by those searching for hidden treasure there.

We visited this ancient site in 1980 and 1887; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 401.

1885 y․

The first researcher who visited it writes, “We saw the stone remnants of an Armenian chapel, together with some big and small khachkars, in a thick forest on the left of a path, on the road leading from Murut to Getashen. Nobody could tell us what the name of the chapel was, for it was a long time since it was destroyed. A fragment broken off the facade of its entrance was engraved with the following...”

“Ardzagank,” 1886, No. 20, p. 294.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 401.

1890 y․

Bishop Barkhutariants, who visited the site some 5 to 6 years later, writes, “There is a ruined chapel named Keoshk in a thicket, on the road between the villages of Hajikyand and Mrut. It retains an inscribed fragment of stone...”

Barkhutariants, M. Artsakh. Baku, 1895, p. 272.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 401.

Inscription, Armenian, Engraved, Construction 1260 y․

6 lines in the Armenian original carved on the aforementioned fragment of tympanum:
In the year 1260 of the Armenian era by the will of God and grace of Almighty Christ... I built this church in the days of Father Ovanis and Mr. Bagrayd.
The Armenian original published in: “Ardzagank,” 1886, No. 20, p. 294 (the decipherment of the year is wrong). Barkhutariants, M. Artsakh. Baku, 1895, p. 272 (the year is deciphered as ‘1457’).
Note: The year ‘1260’ was deciphered by S. Barkhudarian, who also read the name of the builder (“...I, Sargis...”) and the continuation of the inscription (Corpus Inscriptionum Armenicarum, part 5. Compiled by Barkhudarian, S. Yerevan, 1982, p. 230).

Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 401.

Inscription, Armenian, Engraved, Commemoration

A single line in the Armenian original incised into the upper edge of the tympanum:
...revelation...
The Armenian original published in: Corpus Inscriptionum Armenicarum, part 5. Compiled by Barkhudarian, S. Yerevan, 1982, p. 230.

Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 401.

Inscription, Armenian, Engraved, Commemoration

10 lines in the Armenian original inscribed on the left edge of the tympanum:
May God have mercy upon Mkhitar, who helped the church...
The Armenian original published in: Corpus Inscriptionum Armenicarum, part 5. Compiled by Barkhudarian, S. Yerevan, 1982, p. 230.

Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 401.

Inscription, Armenian, Engraved, Commemoration

9 lines in the Armenian original engraved on the right edge of the tympanum:
May God have mercy upon Mkhitarich, who helped the church...
The Armenian original published in: Corpus Inscriptionum Armenicarum, part 5. Compiled by Barkhudarian, S. Yerevan, 1982, p. 230.