Kozluca, Kars
The village houses the remains of the Armenian Bagnayr Monastery, built in the 10th century CE. The name "Bagnayr" means "cave of fire altars", suggesting the much earlier presence of a Zoroastrian sanctuary on the site.
Bagnayr monastery
According to Armenian sources Vahram Pahlavouni founded the monastery in the year 989. It was probably abandoned at the end of the 13th century. Currently, only one of the original buildings of the complex, the Küçük Kozluca Church, remains partially preserved. This six-foil domed church has lost all of the coverings, and almost all of the exterior stone blocks have been scavenged, but the structure remains intact.
Two walls and an arch vaulted door remain, but the annular vault of the door is ruined. At the internal section of the remaining walls, 5 arches and 5 dummy columns are interconnected and epitaphs are placed in between the columns. The middle dome and north wall of the church are collapsed and only 2 columns have remained. The top of the remaining south walls is decorated with geometrical designs in carving technique.
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Küçük Kozluca Church -
Petroglyph with Zoroastrian symbols
_-_Bagnayr_Monastery.jpg)
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References
- ^ "Türkiye Mülki İdare Bölümleri Envanteri". T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı (in Turkish). Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2023, Favorite Reports" (XLS) (in Turkish). TÜİK. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ "The Monastery of Bagnayr". Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ "The situation of Christian architectural heritage in Turkey". Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ Jean Michel Thierry, A Propos de quelques monuments chrétiens du Vilayet de Kars, Revue des Études Arméniennes XVII (1983), pp. 329-394.
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