Narekavank

Narekavank
The monastery and the village of Narek circa 1900
Basic information
Location	Yemişlik,Gevaş district, Van Province, Turkey
Geographic coordinates	38°17′49″N 42°55′42″E / 38.296875°N 42.928256°E / 38.296875; 42.928256Coordinates: 38°17′49″N 42°55′42″E / 38.296875°N 42.928256°E / 38.296875; 42.928256
Affiliation	Armenian Apostolic Church
Country	Turkey
Status	Demolished
Architectural description
Architectural style	Armenian
Groundbreaking	10th century

Narekavank (Armenian: Նարեկավանք, "Monastery of Narek", Western Armenian: Nareg) was a tenth-century Armenian monastery in the historic province of Vaspurakan, near the southern shores of Lake Van, in present-day eastern Turkey. The monastery was one of the most prominent in medieval Armenia and had a major school. The poet Gregory of Narek (Grigor Narekatsi) notably flourished at the monastery. It was abandoned in 1915 during the Armenian Genocide, and reportedly demolished around 1951. A mosque now stands on its location.

The monastery was founded during the reign of the Artsruni King Gagik I of Vaspurakan (r. 908–43) by Armenian monks who fled the Byzantine Empire due to religious persecution. In the 10th century father Ananias of Narek (Anania Narekatsi, ()) founded a school, which became one of the most prominent centers of learning in medieval Armenia.Gregory of Narek (Grigor Narekatsi, 951-1003), "Armenia's most famous medieval religious poet", studied and flourished at the monastery, making the "name of the institution immortal". To this day, the monastery is mostly associated with Gregory of Narek. Among others, the historian Ukhtanes studied at the monastery school. During this period, the monastery was among the most prominent in all of Armenia and was also a major center of manuscript production. The earliest surviving manuscript produced at the monastery is a Gospel dated 1069.

Armenia was dominated by various foreign powers in the subsequent centuries. The Ottoman Empire gained control of the region by the 16th century. The monastery experienced a revival when in 1707 it was profoundly renovated by Minas vardapet Ghapantsi. In 1812 a bell-tower was constructed within the monastery walls. The two domes were restored in 1843 by the architect Sahrat Memarbashi and his son Movses. In 1858 the monastery was renovated by Hovhannes vardapet. Father Hovsep Rabuni commissioned a khachkar (cross stone), which was placed on the tomb of Gregory of Narek. It depicted the Mother of God carrying Jesus on her lap and Gregory on the foreground.