Oshakan
Encyclopedia
This article is about a town in Armenia. For the city in Japan, see Osaka
.
Oshakan is a village in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia
located 8 kilometers southwest from Ashtarak
. It is well known to historians and pilgrims of the Armenian Apostolic Church
.
of the Kingdom of Armenia, it served as the main city of the province of Ayrarat
and the capital of its Aragatsotn district from which the Amatuni
noble family ruled. However, it is perhaps best known for the Church of Saint Mesrop Mashtots which also happens to be the burial place of Saint Mesrop Mashtots
, the creator of the Armenian alphabet
. The church houses his grave and was rebuilt by Catholicos George IV in 1875. Wall paintings on the interior were done in 1960 by the artist H. Minasian.
Just to the south of the town is Didikond Hill, where excavations have uncovered a fort and five palaces built around the 7th-5th centuries BC.
To the north of town located in the Mankanots Valley is Saint Sion Church dating from the 7th century AD. It is believed to mark the grave of Byzantine Emperor Mauricius or his mother, as one historian claims he came from Oshakan. Adjacent to the church is a pillar on a plinth dated to the 6th-7th c.
West of Oshakan is a bridge dated to 1706 that crosses over the Kasagh River.
On a hilltop overlooking the town there is a Tukh Manuk Shrine
with a large khachkar
monument adjacent that sits within a large cemetery. The portion of the cemetery higher upon the hill is the older section while the lower portion contains a recent cemetery. There are Iron Age tomb fields around the area. Higher upon the same hill may be seen the shrine of Saint Grigor. Nearby are also the shrines of S. Sargis, S. Tadevos the Apostle, and a rock-cut Astvatsatsin.
The village of Oshakan is mentioned in a 13th century inscription on the southern wall of the Katoghike Church of the Astvatsnkal Monastery built between the 5th-13th c. It reads,
Oshakan is known to have had a brief visit during October 1734 by Abraham Kretatsi
during the time while he was serving the Catholicos Abraham II. He wrote a short passage speaking of his previous days stay at Mughni
to visit the Monastery of S. Gevorg
, "In the morning, after services, we went down to Oshakan."
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
.
Oshakan is a village in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
located 8 kilometers southwest from Ashtarak
Ashtarak
Ashtarak is an industrial city in Armenia, on the left bank of Kasagh River along the gorge, approximately 20 km north-west of the capital Yerevan, at a height of 1110 meters above sea level. It is the administrative capital of Aragatsotn province...
. It is well known to historians and pilgrims of the Armenian Apostolic Church
Armenian Apostolic Church
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...
.
History
During the Arsacid DynastyArsacid Dynasty of Armenia
The Arsacid dynasty or Arshakuni dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Armenia from 54 AD to 428 AD. Formerly a branch of the Iranian Parthian Arsacids, they became a distinctly Armenian dynasty. Arsacid Kings reigned intermittently throughout the chaotic years following the fall of the Artaxiad Dynasty...
of the Kingdom of Armenia, it served as the main city of the province of Ayrarat
Ayrarat
Ayrarat was a province of old Armenia . The main city was Oshakan. It is believed that the name Ayrarat is the Armenian equivalent of the toponym Urartu ....
and the capital of its Aragatsotn district from which the Amatuni
Amatuni
Amatuni was an ancient Armenian noble family, known from the 4th century in the canton of Artaz, between lakes Van and Urmia, with its center at Shavarshan , and subsequently also at Aragatsotn, west of Lake Sevan, with the residence at Oshakan.- History :Probably of Caspio-Median origin, this...
noble family ruled. However, it is perhaps best known for the Church of Saint Mesrop Mashtots which also happens to be the burial place of Saint Mesrop Mashtots
Saint Mesrob
Saint Mesrop Mashtots was an Armenian monk, theologian and linguist. He is best known for having invented the Armenian alphabet, which was a fundamental step in strengthening the Armenian Church, the government of the Armenian Kingdom, and ultimately the bond between the Armenian Kingdom and...
, the creator of the Armenian alphabet
Armenian alphabet
The Armenian alphabet is an alphabet that has been used to write the Armenian language since the year 405 or 406. It was devised by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and ecclesiastical leader, and contained originally 36 letters. Two more letters, օ and ֆ, were added in the Middle Ages...
. The church houses his grave and was rebuilt by Catholicos George IV in 1875. Wall paintings on the interior were done in 1960 by the artist H. Minasian.
Just to the south of the town is Didikond Hill, where excavations have uncovered a fort and five palaces built around the 7th-5th centuries BC.
To the north of town located in the Mankanots Valley is Saint Sion Church dating from the 7th century AD. It is believed to mark the grave of Byzantine Emperor Mauricius or his mother, as one historian claims he came from Oshakan. Adjacent to the church is a pillar on a plinth dated to the 6th-7th c.
West of Oshakan is a bridge dated to 1706 that crosses over the Kasagh River.
On a hilltop overlooking the town there is a Tukh Manuk Shrine
Tukh Manuk Shrine of Oshakan
The Tukh Manuk Shrine of Oshakan is located in the town of Oshakan in Aragatsotn Marz, Armenia. Tukh Manuk literally translates to "dark baby" or "dark youth" and is connected to the Tukh Manuk cult popular with the women of the Yezidi culture of Armenia. These shrines are generally located outside...
with a large khachkar
Khachkar
A khachkar or khatchkar is a carved, cross-bearing, memorial stele covered with rosettes and other botanical motifs. Khachkars are characteristic of Medieval Christian Armenian art found in Armenia.-Description:...
monument adjacent that sits within a large cemetery. The portion of the cemetery higher upon the hill is the older section while the lower portion contains a recent cemetery. There are Iron Age tomb fields around the area. Higher upon the same hill may be seen the shrine of Saint Grigor. Nearby are also the shrines of S. Sargis, S. Tadevos the Apostle, and a rock-cut Astvatsatsin.
The village of Oshakan is mentioned in a 13th century inscription on the southern wall of the Katoghike Church of the Astvatsnkal Monastery built between the 5th-13th c. It reads,
Oshakan is known to have had a brief visit during October 1734 by Abraham Kretatsi
Abraham III of Armenia
Catholicos Abraham III was the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church between 1734 and 1737. Born in Heraklion, Crete, to a Greek mother, he was bishop of Rodosto, Thrace and then Armenian prelate of Thrace from 1708-1734...
during the time while he was serving the Catholicos Abraham II. He wrote a short passage speaking of his previous days stay at Mughni
Mughni
Mughni is a village in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. It is located within the city limits of and just north of the city of Ashtarak. Until the Russian conquest, it was the southernmost town in the district of Aparan. Mughni has a recently restored 14th century monastery of S. Gevorg, which...
to visit the Monastery of S. Gevorg
Saint Gevorg Monastery of Mughni
The monastery of Saint George is located just off of the main road that runs through the town of Mughni in the Aragatsotn province of Armenia. The church sits within the city limits of the larger city of Ashtarak...
, "In the morning, after services, we went down to Oshakan."