Day 12 Armenia. 900 Khachkars of Noratus, and Hayravank Monastery

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Day 12 Armenia. 900 Khachkars of Noratus, and Hayravank Monastery



Noratus, a village south west of where we’re staying at Sevan Lake, is a town known to exist in the Mediaeval period, but a fort by it is Bronze Age makes it likely to be one of the longest established settlements in Armenia.

We’re here to see 900 Khachkars from Mediaeval times (and after), all in one site next to the huge, present day cemetery.

Khachkars are said in pre Christian times to be stones marking springs and water sources, perhaps erected to please water gods. From 9thC onwards they were adopted as a form of Christian monument, worship in stone.

These Noratus stones are nearly all clones, as far as I can see: they carry pretty much the same image of an Armenian Cross and they are ‘Cradle Stones’, they curve forward at the top like an Elvis Presley quiff. They all face west. There’s not much red stone here, mostly the local black igneous type.

There is a tiny chapel in a basic shed shape, and as at Sevanank, the tessellation of each stone to the next is perfect, showing great skill.

The modern graveyard alongside is full of family grave sites with railings, shared stones with images of the couples looking stern, and stone tables with benches....... are they to carry the Thermos and a few bags of crisps, a family occasion, or some symbolism, I’m not sure.



A sole ten year old in a huge Mercedes drives past us with a proud look on his face as we leave town.



Ten kilometres north of Noratus is Hayravank Monastery, sitting in a prominent position on a rocky lakeside outcrop.

Now we understand to enjoy the location, the positioning of these relatively small but ancient churches. The overall plan and cramped interior will be very similar, but it’s position in the landscape makes it special.

About the site there’s a great deal of black rock with yellow / tawny moss highlights strewn around. And some evidence of outbuildings constructed using natural hollows as starting points. Not exactly troglodyte, but square room sized floor footprints built onto the existing rock. Also, there’s a big circle diameter of 3m built into the ground..... well or dunny?

A woman is leaping from stone to stone to access the highest red rose hips on a copse of bushes over the promontory. The hips are popped into a large bad slung around her shoulders. She wears a baseball hat to keep off the sun, but warm woollies for the breeze that is increasing in strength.





We’re back to our base before thunder and rain introduces itself. We shelter on our covered terrace and paint / sketch.



I finish Sandcastle Girls, a novel by Chris Bohjalian based upon family letters and diaries about the Long March to Aleppo, Syria, from Turkey. Armenian women and children with little or no food left to die or worse if they couldn’t keep up.

Bohjalian is an American Armenian female author detailing the effects of the Genocide at the time of the Dardanelles battles of WW1.

A love affair between an Armenian engineer and a American volunteer working in a hospital. She takes risks to stay behind in Aleppo when her compatriots return home. He joins the ANSAC of Aussies and Kiwis to fight the Turk / German troops but after injury and convalescence in Alexandria makes it back to Aleppo for a reunion

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