St. Dad Church :: ARTSAKH HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

St. Dad Church

NKR / Karvajar / Dadivank

Historical Introduction

This is the oldest church in the complex, which dates back at least to the IX cent. It is built round the tombstone, so that the funeral pillar occurs right in the centre of the altar, as if supporting it and thus forming an architectural detail characteristic of the Armenian churches. The church is named after Disciple Dad.

Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 80.

Architectural Description

Interior dimensions are 20.70 x 9.40 m. The width of the southern wall is 1.16 m, but the western wall, linked to the chapel is only 0.55 m wide. Two of three entrances -one through the chapel and the other through the vaulted porch linked to the southern side, are made of finely carved processed stone with rather elaborate ornament. Maximum height of the preserved walls is 5 m.

Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 80.

Repairs

In spite of regular repairs the composition and the plan remained unchanged.

Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 80.

16 — 17 cc․

Saint Dad Church was partially repaired in the late Middle Ages. Some of the wall niches were strengthened or cut in the XVI-XVII cent.

Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 80.

Description
9 — 10 yy․

In the opinion of B. Ulubabian and M. Hasratian this church dates from the IX-X cent. Later M. Hasratian reviewed this dating to the XIII cent. This conclusion was based on the discovery of the inscription of father Athanas made on the vault plaster of the northern sacristy near the altar apse.

"Haykazian Armenistic Magazine", Beirut, 1980, p. 40; Murad Hasratian, The Artsakh School of Armenian Architecture, Yerevan, 1992, p. 50 (in Armenian); This abbot is mentioned in a number of inscriptions dating 1263-1291. Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 80.

Nevertheless, it seems that the church might have been rather renovated or rebuilt by the superior, Father Athanas, than founded by him, because the construction of the chapel linked to the church from the western side was completed in 1224 already. Based on the logic of construction phases the church should have been certainly founded much earlier, no later than in the IX cent.

Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 80.

In comparison with the adjoining structures the floor mark of this church was considerably higher as a result of decay of the vault and upper part of the walls.

Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 80.

Inscription, Armenian, Engraved, Commemoration

An inscription of one line written in large and protuberant letters, on the vault of the northern sacristy of Saint Dadi church:
“FATHER ATHANAS.”

Published in: Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 112: Note: the superior Athanas was mentioned in a number of inscriptions made between 1263-1291.

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