Varagavank
Van Province, Turkey
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Varagavank, an Armenian monastery on the slopes of Mount Erek nine kilometers southeast of Van in eastern Turkey, was founded in the early eleventh century by Senekerim-Hovhannes Artsruni, the Armenian King of Vaspurakan, atop an earlier religious site. Known in Turkish as Yedi Kilise ("Seven Churches"), the monastery initially functioned as a royal necropolis for the Artsruni dynasty before becoming the seat of the Armenian Church's archbishop in Van. Scholars have identified it as one of the great monastic centers of the Armenian church and the richest and most celebrated monastery of the Lake Van region. During the Armenian genocide in April–May 1915, the Turkish army attacked and destroyed much of the complex. Further damage occurred in the 1960s, though portions of the ruins remain standing today.
Movement
- Built
- Type
- monastery, ruins
- Place
- Van Province, Turkey
This building on
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Location