Gtichavank

Gtichavank or Gtchavank (Armenian: Գտչավանք, romanized: Gtch’avank’; Azerbaijani: Ktişvəng or Gütəvəng) is a 13th-century Armenian Apostolic[1][2] monastery, located near the village of Togh (or Tugh) in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan.

Gtichavank is located on the northern slope of the mountain known as Toghasar or Chgnavor in Armenian,[3][4] 1.8 kilometers (1.1 mi) northwest of the village of Tugh (or Togh).

Its dual sacristies are located under the floor of the chancel, which is unusual in Armenian architecture.

[6] The remains of living quarters and a defensive wall are visible to the west of the churches and gavit’.

[6][7] A representative from Gtichavank participated in the Armenian church council in Partaw (modern-day Barda) in 704.

[4][5] After the late 8th century, the monastery enjoyed the patronage of the local rulers of Dizak, who belonged to a branch of the Aranshahik dynasty.

[7] The Armenian ruler Esayi Abu-Muse had his seat at the fortress of Gtich or Ktish not far from the monastery.

[6] In the 15th century,[4] Gtichavank had a scriptorium; a few of the manuscripts written there have survived to the present day.

In the 19th century, the abbot of the monastery was Vardapet Arakel Kostandyants, who wrote a historical work about the meliks of Karabakh which was used as a source for Raffi's study The Melikdoms of Khamsa.

Plan of Gtichavank