Jeep Tour: Aparan Reservoir, Surb Khach Church in Aparan, Surb Poghos-Petros Church, Tukh Manuk Church, Surb Vardan Chapel-Tomb

Program:

Aparan Reservoir

Surb Khach Church in Aparan

Surb Poghos-Petros Church

Tukh Manuk Church

Surb Vardan Chapel-Tomb

Let's introduce You with one of our new destinations.

This time we are going to visit Aparan.

The first stop of the tour is the Aparan Reservoir, known for its exceptional beauty at any season of the year, it attracts with the changeability of colors and the calming smoothness of the water.

In Aparan we will also see the Church of Surb Khach constructed in the 4th century. The church was restored in 1877.  Until the 10th century Aparan has been called Kasakh, and the church has been called the Kasakh basilica. The toponym “Aparan” and the name "Surb Khach Church in Aparan" started being used in literature since the X century. The area was named Aparan in honor of the palace (palace in Armenian means “aparan (k)”), which was located in the Mija district of the Mokq province, and the Surb Khach Monastery located on its territory, where a particle of the Holy Cross, on which Christ was crucified, was kept. In the X century the relic was transferred to Aparan. In honor of this event, the area was named Aparan. During its thousand-year history, the church has been repeatedly destroyed, but it has survived up to this day.

Our next stop is the Poghos-Petros Church in Old Zovuni. It was built in the first half of the 5th century (basilica plan). At the end of the 5th century or the beginning of the 6th century, Prince Grigor Gntuni rebuilt the temple from the inside, turning it into a horseshoe-shaped domed church, and added powerful buttresses to the longitudinal walls.

The Poghos-Petros Church in Zovuni is the first sample of a new type of church building in the Armenian architecture, i.e. a domed hall. The Poghos-Petros Church was restored in 1896, at the same time the stone roof was replaced by a wooden one. In the 20th century, the roof and the southern wall of the church were destroyed.

On the way we will also see the small Tukh Manuk church, which is a one-nave basilica-type church. In connection with the construction of the Aparan reservoir in 1962-1967, the Tukh Manuk church of the 4th century, which was located in the eastern part of the Poghos-Petros Church, and the Surb Vardan chapel-tomb of the 5th century, which was located in its southern part, were moved in 1967 to the eastern part of the village to a place called Khacher and reassembled in the form in which it was preserved.

Unfortunately, the Pogos-Petros Church remained in its old location and, since 1967, has been submerged in water for 3-4 months a year (the water reaches even the windows). The walls of the construction  have been preserved until 2005. However, in 2005, the eastern wall of the church was destroyed as a result of being under water for a long time.

Departure: 09:00

Arrival: 20:00

Place of departure: Hakob Hakobyan str.1/ near Mergelyan Institute