Khachkars

The earliest khachkars date from the ninth century, but the best were probably carved in the 12th to 14th centuries.

They were erected primarily as memorial stones to commemorate the deceased, although some memorialize military victories or even the consecration of churches. Others are reminders to passersby of an individual’s donation to a particular church, especially those stones embedded in a church’s walls.

Generally, freestanding khachkars are three to six feet tall, are carved of stone and have a cross carved in the center surrounded by an elaborate design. Sometimes the design is abstract, sometimes consisting of leaves or vines. Those embedded either on the inside or outside of church walls are usually smaller than the freestanding stones.

There are outstanding examples of khachkars at the following churches and monastic complexes: Saghmosavank (embedded in the walls), Noravank (both freestanding and embedded), Haghpat (both freestanding and embedded) and Echmiadzin, where some of the oldest and/or most beautiful examples have been moved from their original locations and now line a wall in the garden.

The single most beautiful khachkar I saw was one at Gosha­vank. So delicately carved, it looked as if it were made of lace and not of stone.

The most memorable khachkars, however, were the ones at Noratus on Lake Sevan, where almost a thousand khachkars fill a field. As remarkable as the number of khachkars there is the fact they span over a thousand years, from about the year AD 1000 to those erected just a month or two ago.

Particularly poignant are some of the ancient khachkars standing shoulder to shoulder — sometimes 10 or 12 in a row — marking a family’s burial plot. It is estimated that there are over 40,000 khachkars throughout Armenia.

I fell in love with the khachkars and could have spent weeks admiring them, but Armenia offers much more. First of all are the monasteries, themselves, with or without khachkars. Besides those I’ve already named, we also visited Harichavank, Talin, Zvartnots, Geghard and Khor Virap.

http://www.intltravelnews.com/2011/07/transcaucasus%E2%80%99-armenia-plus-istanbul