The Armenian Church of St. Nicholas, the Armenian Church of St. Nicholas - a lost monument of Armenian Christian sacred architecture, located in the Armenian district of Kamianets-Podilskyi, on Armenian Street. Formed a single complex of buildings, surrounded by a wall, with a bell tower and warehouses.
Until February 3.1790 it served as a cathedral, the main religious, cultural, social and organizational center of the Kamenets Armenian community. Destroyed by the Communists in the 1930s.
The shrine was probably built in 1495 by Armenians who came to Kamyanets in the 1380s. It was originally wooden. At the end of the 15th century there were 4 Armenian churches in Kamianka: the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Church of St. Stephen, the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin - the Cathedral.
The newly built Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the fifth in a row, immediately took over the functions of the cathedral, making it the center of secular and religious life of Kamenets Armenians. The church kept archives, including royal privileges, the seal and the banner of the community.
In 1602, a fire ravaged the central part of the city, including the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. After the fire, the Armenian community hastily began to rebuild the temple. The porch was widened and a stone wall was erected. In 1603, Judge Mikhno paid for the reconstruction of one of the church baths, which was covered with "gold". On April 25.1607, 25 well-wishers (members of the fraternity) ordered the church to make a bell. At that time the church had plenty of church utensils, the crowns of the icons of the Blessed Virgin and Jesus Christ were decorated with pearls and precious stones. In 1612 "windows with frames and iron bars were installed in the church of St. Nicholas. "
In 1613 the main altar was decorated with new icons of the Acts of Christ painted by master Sharim. At the end of 1614 the vault was whitewashed, and a stone altar was erected in front of the altar. In the same year, the Armenian viit Lukash presented the church with a new silver candlestick. In 1672, during the storming of the city by the Turks, the temple was almost completely destroyed. Reconstruction work began in 1756 at the expense of the Armenian community. In 1767 the work was completed. On June 27.1791 the church was consecrated by the Armenian Archbishop of Lviv Tumanovych.
On February 3.1790, the self-government of the Kamenets Armenians was abolished. The Armenian Cathedral moved to the status of a parish church. In 1891, the Russians removed a unique library of Armenian manuscripts from the 16th to the 17th centuries from St. Nicholas Church. Among them was the Servant's Servant in the Tatar language in 1349, donated to the church.
After the defeat of the Liberation War of 1917-1921, the church was closed by the Communists.
In 1922.60 kg of silver church utensils were requisitioned from the Church of St. Nicholas. The priests managed to hide the most valuable items, for which they were arrested by the GPU as "enemies of the hungry. " In the 1930s, the shrine was blown up.
In 1972, archaeological and architectural research of the architectural complex of the Armenian Cathedral began. In 1973, Armenian researcher Vartan Grigoryan took part in them. Stationary archaeological research was conducted by Kamyanets-Podilsky State Pedagogical University during 1989-1996 under the leadership of Nikolai Petrov. Later, the temple foundations were preserved.
In 1985, a treasure was discovered under the stone paving of the first tier floor at a depth of 1.8 meters. The treasure included the most valuable items of church utensils, hidden by priests in 1922. The list of found items numbered 448 items.
The most interesting finds include the base of the church bowl dating from 1581 and decorated with Armenian text. Some items from the treasure can now be seen in the exposition of the Kamyanets-Podilsky State Historical Museum-Reserve.
In 2005, on the donations of the Armenian community and residents of the Armenian Church, a modern khachkar by Armen Khachatryan was erected in memory of the tragic page in the history of the Armenian people - the Armenian genocide in Turkey in 1915. The artist who created it tried to recreate artistic features of ancient Armenian khachkars, in particular, their archaic model found during excavations of the ruins of Ani - the ancient capital of Armenians in the tenth century, and at the same time give a new, modern sound to the traditional form of the memorial.
A stele is installed on the pedestal with the date of installation and the inscription in Armenian and Ukrainian.
The central part of the stele is occupied by a shield, the background of which is made in the form of a chessboard. Against this background is a clearly outlined cross of the Latin type, the ends of the arms of which bifurcate and end with braided knots. The middle of the cross is filled with an openwork pattern. Shoots sprout from the lower end and cup-shaped half-palmettes cover the cross. Under the cross there is a rosette with a braided contour and filling in the form of acanthus leaves and an inscription in Armenian. The shield is surrounded by openwork wicker ornaments and images of flowers and leaves.
The bell tower of St. Stepanos, also the Armenian bell tower and the Chapel of St. Stepanos - the bell tower of the XV-XVI centuries, located in the Armenian quarter of Kamianets-Podilskyi. It was part of the Armenian Cathedral of St. Nicholas (XV century), which has not survived to this day.
For some time, the bell tower housed the legendary icon of the Armenian Mother of God, highly revered by Catholics, Orthodox and followers of the Armenian Church.
The bell tower got its name in memory of the church of St. Stepanos, which existed in Kamianka. The exact date of construction of the bell tower is unknown. But the construction was completed by 1565, as the builder Grigor, the son of the wealthy Armenian Katinets Zatik, died this year.
During the Turkish occupation, the bell tower was damaged along with the church, and its bells were stolen. After the Turks left, the icon of the Armenian Mother of God was returned to the city. The Armenian churches of St. Nicholas and the Annunciation were in a state of disrepair, so on May 22.1700, the icon was installed in the chapel of St. Stephen, which was quickly built in the bell tower of the Church of St. Nicholas.
In the XIX century the bell tower had two bells: the smaller one in 1701 and the larger one in 1722.
During the First and Second World Wars, the bell tower was severely damaged. In 1958, the Committee for the Protection of Antiquities of the Ukrainian SSR restored the bell tower and declared it a monument under state protection.
In 1978 it was studied by specialists from Kyiv. According to the results of research on the first floor of the bell tower, on the eastern and northern walls and partly on the western walls, the remains of paintings made in ocher and red colors were found. In terms of character and style, this painting belongs to the period not later than the XVIII century. According to experts, the bell tower is one of the most interesting Armenian monuments of the city, which successfully combines a variety of architectural techniques with a high level of artistic embodiment.
In 2005, the land on which the ruins of the Church of St. Nicholas and the bell tower of St. Stepanos are located was transferred to the Armenian community of the city.
In 2014, after the restoration, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate officially handed over to the Armenians of Ukraine the ruins of the Church of St. Nicholas and the bell tower of St. Stepanos.
The bell tower of St. Stepanos stood separate from the church of St. Nicholas. Simultaneously with the needs of the church, the bell tower performed defensive functions - it was built as a battle tower. The bell tower is a five-storey stone building with a pointed pyramidal roof, at the four corners of which are small towers. Each of the towers has two loopholes.
Until February 3.1790 it served as a cathedral, the main religious, cultural, social and organizational center of the Kamenets Armenian community. Destroyed by the Communists in the 1930s.
The shrine was probably built in 1495 by Armenians who came to Kamyanets in the 1380s. It was originally wooden. At the end of the 15th century there were 4 Armenian churches in Kamianka: the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Church of St. Stephen, the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin - the Cathedral.
The newly built Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the fifth in a row, immediately took over the functions of the cathedral, making it the center of secular and religious life of Kamenets Armenians. The church kept archives, including royal privileges, the seal and the banner of the community.
In 1602, a fire ravaged the central part of the city, including the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. After the fire, the Armenian community hastily began to rebuild the temple. The porch was widened and a stone wall was erected. In 1603, Judge Mikhno paid for the reconstruction of one of the church baths, which was covered with "gold". On April 25.1607, 25 well-wishers (members of the fraternity) ordered the church to make a bell. At that time the church had plenty of church utensils, the crowns of the icons of the Blessed Virgin and Jesus Christ were decorated with pearls and precious stones. In 1612 "windows with frames and iron bars were installed in the church of St. Nicholas. "
In 1613 the main altar was decorated with new icons of the Acts of Christ painted by master Sharim. At the end of 1614 the vault was whitewashed, and a stone altar was erected in front of the altar. In the same year, the Armenian viit Lukash presented the church with a new silver candlestick. In 1672, during the storming of the city by the Turks, the temple was almost completely destroyed. Reconstruction work began in 1756 at the expense of the Armenian community. In 1767 the work was completed. On June 27.1791 the church was consecrated by the Armenian Archbishop of Lviv Tumanovych.
On February 3.1790, the self-government of the Kamenets Armenians was abolished. The Armenian Cathedral moved to the status of a parish church. In 1891, the Russians removed a unique library of Armenian manuscripts from the 16th to the 17th centuries from St. Nicholas Church. Among them was the Servant's Servant in the Tatar language in 1349, donated to the church.
After the defeat of the Liberation War of 1917-1921, the church was closed by the Communists.
In 1922.60 kg of silver church utensils were requisitioned from the Church of St. Nicholas. The priests managed to hide the most valuable items, for which they were arrested by the GPU as "enemies of the hungry. " In the 1930s, the shrine was blown up.
In 1972, archaeological and architectural research of the architectural complex of the Armenian Cathedral began. In 1973, Armenian researcher Vartan Grigoryan took part in them. Stationary archaeological research was conducted by Kamyanets-Podilsky State Pedagogical University during 1989-1996 under the leadership of Nikolai Petrov. Later, the temple foundations were preserved.
In 1985, a treasure was discovered under the stone paving of the first tier floor at a depth of 1.8 meters. The treasure included the most valuable items of church utensils, hidden by priests in 1922. The list of found items numbered 448 items.
The most interesting finds include the base of the church bowl dating from 1581 and decorated with Armenian text. Some items from the treasure can now be seen in the exposition of the Kamyanets-Podilsky State Historical Museum-Reserve.
In 2005, on the donations of the Armenian community and residents of the Armenian Church, a modern khachkar by Armen Khachatryan was erected in memory of the tragic page in the history of the Armenian people - the Armenian genocide in Turkey in 1915. The artist who created it tried to recreate artistic features of ancient Armenian khachkars, in particular, their archaic model found during excavations of the ruins of Ani - the ancient capital of Armenians in the tenth century, and at the same time give a new, modern sound to the traditional form of the memorial.
A stele is installed on the pedestal with the date of installation and the inscription in Armenian and Ukrainian.
The central part of the stele is occupied by a shield, the background of which is made in the form of a chessboard. Against this background is a clearly outlined cross of the Latin type, the ends of the arms of which bifurcate and end with braided knots. The middle of the cross is filled with an openwork pattern. Shoots sprout from the lower end and cup-shaped half-palmettes cover the cross. Under the cross there is a rosette with a braided contour and filling in the form of acanthus leaves and an inscription in Armenian. The shield is surrounded by openwork wicker ornaments and images of flowers and leaves.
The bell tower of St. Stepanos, also the Armenian bell tower and the Chapel of St. Stepanos - the bell tower of the XV-XVI centuries, located in the Armenian quarter of Kamianets-Podilskyi. It was part of the Armenian Cathedral of St. Nicholas (XV century), which has not survived to this day.
For some time, the bell tower housed the legendary icon of the Armenian Mother of God, highly revered by Catholics, Orthodox and followers of the Armenian Church.
The bell tower got its name in memory of the church of St. Stepanos, which existed in Kamianka. The exact date of construction of the bell tower is unknown. But the construction was completed by 1565, as the builder Grigor, the son of the wealthy Armenian Katinets Zatik, died this year.
During the Turkish occupation, the bell tower was damaged along with the church, and its bells were stolen. After the Turks left, the icon of the Armenian Mother of God was returned to the city. The Armenian churches of St. Nicholas and the Annunciation were in a state of disrepair, so on May 22.1700, the icon was installed in the chapel of St. Stephen, which was quickly built in the bell tower of the Church of St. Nicholas.
In the XIX century the bell tower had two bells: the smaller one in 1701 and the larger one in 1722.
During the First and Second World Wars, the bell tower was severely damaged. In 1958, the Committee for the Protection of Antiquities of the Ukrainian SSR restored the bell tower and declared it a monument under state protection.
In 1978 it was studied by specialists from Kyiv. According to the results of research on the first floor of the bell tower, on the eastern and northern walls and partly on the western walls, the remains of paintings made in ocher and red colors were found. In terms of character and style, this painting belongs to the period not later than the XVIII century. According to experts, the bell tower is one of the most interesting Armenian monuments of the city, which successfully combines a variety of architectural techniques with a high level of artistic embodiment.
In 2005, the land on which the ruins of the Church of St. Nicholas and the bell tower of St. Stepanos are located was transferred to the Armenian community of the city.
In 2014, after the restoration, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate officially handed over to the Armenians of Ukraine the ruins of the Church of St. Nicholas and the bell tower of St. Stepanos.
The bell tower of St. Stepanos stood separate from the church of St. Nicholas. Simultaneously with the needs of the church, the bell tower performed defensive functions - it was built as a battle tower. The bell tower is a five-storey stone building with a pointed pyramidal roof, at the four corners of which are small towers. Each of the towers has two loopholes.
Translated automatically from Ukrainian. View original
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