The Srbots Targmanchats church of Kghartsi

Historical overview

According to M. Barkhudaryan, the church was constructed with contributions from the community. Inside the church, significant artifacts were stored, including a silver cross-reliquary, a tree of life, and an illustrated gospel manuscript written by Hovhannes in 1477 in Aghtamar (Barkhutareants 1895, 111-112).

Architectural-compositional examination

The church was constructed in the 19th century and is a three-nave vaulted hall with a rectangular layout (Fig. 2). . On the eastern side, there is a semi-circular tabernacle with a pair of sacristies. The dimensions of the church are 18.7 meters in length and 12.6 meters in width. The northern wall retains the baptismal font, on the arched stone of which verses from the Gospel of John are inscribed. “Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (Fig. 3). Similar lines can be found on the front part of the arch of the tabernacle's dome: "Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you" (Fig. 4).

The sole entrance is situated on the southern side (Fig. 5), and natural light enters the structure through six windows. The church is constructed using local rough limestone, and the frames of the entrance and windows are polished. Small-sized khachkars are integrated into the walls (Fig. 6). The roof is double-sloped and, following a renovation, it was covered with metal roofing material (Fig. 7).