History
"The monastery called Horomos, which is in the district of Shirak, was built by Hovhannes, who was decorated with ornaments of mercifulness, for he distributed possessions mercifully and virtuously, to the point of giving away all of his clothes whenever he came across poor people. He intended it to be a resting place for passers-by and travellers, so that all strangers may rest as if in their own homes. The same token of mercifulness is still observed today in that monastery." - Stephanos Ashoghik of Taron
The monastery of Horomos is situated about 15 km north-east of Ani, beside the Akhurian river, and is reached by a rough track that runs close to the edge of the river’s ravine. It was one of the most important religious and cultural centres within the Kingdom of Ani, and was founded during the reign of King Abas the first (943-953) - a period of monastic revival in Armenia. The words of Stephanos Ashoghik (writing during the 11th century) suggest that the monastery was originally built on a caravan route.
The importance of Horomos increased greatly after 961, when the capital of the Bagratid kingdom was moved to Ani. The Bagratid kings turned the monastery into a royal burial ground. In 982 it was sacked and burned by Muslim invaders, but was soon restored and enlarged under the later Bagratid kings who built new chapels and churches. The immediate history of the monastery after Ani's capture by the Turks in 1064 is unknown. After a break, donative inscriptions on the buildings begin to reappear as early as 1174, and a manuscript from the 1180s describes it as a renowned religious and cultural centre. Horomos became an important burial place for the feudal families who governed Ani on behalf of the Mkhargrdzeli dynasty, the rulers of the Ani region during the 13th century. The monastery had a large library and an active scriptorium, and it is believed that the archbishops of Ani and northern Armenia sat here. The latest dated inscription from the medieval period at Horomos is from 1336. From then, the history of the monastery is not known until the late 17th century - and it may have been abandoned for part of this period. In 1788 the monastery was renovated, the circuit walls restored, and the cupola bell tower built (or rebuilt). The traveller John Ussher visited Horomos in the early 1860s and found it to be in a derelict condition, with only one monk in residence. Further renovations and restorations took place in the years 1852, 1868, 1871, and 1878. Many of the visitors to Ani during the 19th century (including H. F. B. Lynch) stayed at Horomos, and the monastery continued in operation until 1920. During the Russian period a village surrounded the main part of the monastery - but the site is entirely deserted today. There has been substantial damage to the monastery since 1920. Some buildings have entirely vanished, and most of the surviving walls have been striped of facing masonry. The dome of the Church of the St. John collapsed in the 1970s. Gaining access to the monastery, which was never easy, is now virtually impossible. Horomos monastery was also known as Ghoshavank. The origin of these names has not yet been adequately explained. 13th century Armenian writers believed Horomos to have been founded by monks fleeing from the Roman (i.e. Byzantine) empire, and that its name was derived from that event and meant "of the Romans". A similar explanation was said to account for the name Hromkla, the castle in Cilicia that was the seat of the Armenian patriarchate during the 12th and 13th century.
Description
The monastery comprises two separate groups of structures. The main part of the monastery lies within a fortified enclosure that occupies the highest part of a peninsula, at the edge of cliffs above the Akhurean / Arpa river. Below and to the north of the main complex is a row of three churches built on a rise in the ground and encircled by a dried-up meander of the river.
There are other remains near the monastery. About 500m to the north, overlooking the monastery and built on the route to Ani, is a structure known as the "triumphal arch". 2km to the north of monastery stands an isolated church whose original name is unknown. It is now known as the Taylar church (named after a nearby village) and is probably from the 10th century.
The Main Group of Buildings
The main complex occupies a rectangular area enclosed within a circuit of fortified walls. Only fragments of these walls now remain visible. The entrance to the enclosure was at the western end of the north wall. To the right of this entrance was sort of extension to the wall, into which several large and extremely ornate khatchkars had been set. Unusually for khatchkars, they all faced north. They are all now destroyed.
Within the enclosure wall, two groups of now ruinous buildings still survive. The first group is built around the church of Saint John - the principal church of the monastery. Its outer hall or zhamatun is now the most prominent surviving building at Horomos. The second group, known as the "house of the relics" stands to the south of the first. A wall once ran in front of the zhamatun, turning the area around the enclosure entrance into an outer courtyard. Within this outer courtyard was a building thought to have been a hostel for guests, and, along the southern edge of the enclosure, a row of cells used by the monks. Both these structures were in ruins by the start of the 20th century, and are now entirely gone.
The Zhamatun and Church of
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