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"There
are lands, which know nothing besides cold and forest. There are lands,
which are only familiar to the desert, and haven't seen snow in its life,
but this small village has is an area, where desert breath and the coldness
of eternal snow are joined. "Anapat", "Tsraqar" and
"Ulunts" bank are on a side, the white top of Aramazd is on
another side, wild fig and pomegranate are on a side, violet and flowers
are on another side, and when the cherry is reddening in Vorotan defile,
the dog-rose begin to blossom in the mountainside.
"People have
its version of the origin of the word "Tatev". They tell such
a legend: as the building of the main temple was finished. Only the cross
on the cupola remained to be placed. The student of the master, who managed
the monastery built secretly made a beautiful cross merit to the temple
view, he climbed up the cupola to replace the cross, but he didn't succeed
in placing the cross secretly. Being afraid of an angry master, the student
flies from the cupola straight into the abyss, crying "God, give
wings", "give wings". So here is the origin of the name
"Tatev". Armenian "ta" - as "give", "tev"
- as "wing" ."
As early as the IXth century the monastery of Tatev has been one of the main religious and cultural centers of Armenia. For about one thousand years life it had a full ecclesiastical life (from its foundation to the beginning of the XXth century) and culture was remarkably developed notwithstanding ther many difficulties caused by invasions and earthquakes. Since the middle of the IXth century the monastery developed a feudal organization, strong and influential. It has also played an important role in the cultural life of the country because of the presence of an outstanding religious school, miniature school, different studios, more than one thousand monks, famous philosophers, theologians. Tatev monastery constituted a very important center for the development of the culture and sciences. Thousands of manuscripts were kept here. The monastery and the university of Tatev were one of the most important in the Country, in particular, the school founded in Tatev at the beginning of the Xth c. promoted the study of humanitarian sciences and the manuscript illumination school played a particularly active role in the development of science and art in the XIV-XVth cc, under Hovnan Vorotnetsi (1315-1388) and Grigor Tatevatsi (1346-1411). The latter was not only a well-known philosopher, but a good painter as well. His portrait, one of the rare portraits in Armenian manuscript painting, can be seen in a miniature in the "Interpretation of David's psalms''. The scientist is shown among his disciples. At the end of the XIVth c. Tatevatsi created several miniatures for the 1297 Gospel. Tatev craftsmen also created outstanding works of applied art. The golden setting framework of Tatev Gospel merits special mention. This is an example of the XVII-century chasing. It shows scenes from the Gospel and portraits of the scientists Hovnan Vorotneti and Grigor Tatevatsi, now it is conserved in the Museum of Echmiadzin Cathedral. The doors of Tatev temple are an outstanding work of wood-carving art (1253 and 1614) conserved near the State HIstory Museum of Armenia. The folds and jamb of the door are carved all over with an intricate geometrical ornament interspersed with small floral patterns. In the center of the 1253 door there is a large representation of the cross over a large shield-like circle with two 16-petal rosettes on its sides. On the top of it there is a three-line inscription. By the 12th century Tatev's library possessed over 10,000 manuscripts. Although transferred to Baghaberd for safekeeping in 1169, they were nonetheless destroyed during the Seljuk invasion of 1170. This tradition of learning was revived from the mid-14th century to the early 15th century, when Tatev became Armenia's most renowned cultural center thanks to Hovhan Vorotnetsi's pupil: Grigor Tatevatsi (???/1410). Tatev is considered the heir to Gladzor, the first Armenian University (1280 to 1338). Following Gladzor's destruction, Hovhan Vorotnetsi, having first founded a school in Vorotnavank, came to Tatev where he restored the seminary damaged by the Seljuks. The flourishing academic studies led to the establishment of the Tatev University which had three faculties: Humanities, Music and Art. Under the leadership of Grigor Tatevatsi subjects such as: philosophy, rhetoric, grammar, poetry, pedagogy, literature, history, calligraphy, manuscript design, miniature and frescoes painting as well as music and musical theory were taught. A repository of knowledge, it is through the University's production that seminal religious and philosophical texts have reached us in translations, while the survival of the Gladzor school of miniature allowed the development of a new style and iconography notable for its realism. With a 7 to 8 year curriculum, the University of Tatev housed as many as 600 students. Mongol and Persian invasions marked the decline of Tatev until the 17th century when a noteworthy renaissance took place. The ruins of the 16 classrooms' school, the oil mill and the baths, all located extramuros east of the Monastery, are testimony to this revival. |
Types of Tatev monastery's door
PANOS TERLEMEZIAN (1865 - 1941) |
