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| The '''Church of Kish''' ( |
The '''Church of Kish''' ({{lang-az|Kiş kilsəsi}}) is located in the village of Kish approximately 5km north of ], ]. | ||
| ⚫ | == History== | ||
| == Confusion of the toponym of Kish and Gis== | |||
| According to ], in the 1st century B.C. St. Elishe, a disciple of ], arrived to a place called Gis, where he built a church and recited a liturgy. The church became the "spiritual center and the place of enlightenment of people of the East". On his way from Gis St. Elishe was killed near the pagan altar in small Zerguni valley by unknown people.<ref></ref> | |||
| According to the Baku eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, the location of Gis mentioned by Movses Kalankatuatsi is identified with the present-day Kish, located on the left bank of river Kura, in Shaki district of Azerbaijan <ref name="eparhia"></ref>. The Church of Kish was the first church built in ] and in the ] <ref></ref><ref></ref>. However, according to to Armenian commentator Karapetian, the geographical position of Kish does not seem to match that described by Kagankatvatsi. Karapetian believes that they have identified Gis as the village of ] / Bum 60km to the south-east of Kish, in Gabala district, Uti (Utik) province. <ref></ref> | |||
| The toponym of Kish and it's church have been identified with that of Gis since the 19th century.<ref>Jalaliants, S., ''Journey to Great Armenia'', Tpkhis, 1858, p. 370</ref> However, research has shown that the two locations are not the same.<ref> Ulubabian, B., ''Verification of Certain Historical and Geographical Names'', in "''Banber Yerevani Hamalsarani,''" 1971, N 1, pp. 176-177 .</ref> According to ], the settlement of Gis was situated "''...in a swampy, salt-rich site...''"<ref>Movses Kaghankatvatsi, ''History of Aghvank'', Yerevan, 1983, p. 95</ref> However, Kish is in an area of wooded mountains. <ref name=Kish></ref> Therefore, the location of Gis that Movses Kaghankatvatsi referred to cannot be the Kish where this church is located <ref name="Kish"/>. The location of Gis is believed to be the village of ] / Bum 60km to the south-east of Kish, in Gabala district, Uti (Utik) province.<ref>{{cite book | |||
| | last =Kartapetian | |||
| | first =Samvel | |||
| | title =Armenian Cultural Monuments in the region of Karabagh | |||
| | publisher =RAA | |||
| | location=Yerevan | |||
| | date =2001 | |||
| | pages =79 | |||
| | id =ISBN 5-8080-0468-3}}</ref> | |||
| According to Georgian historiography, in the 10th century, the population of Kish converted to the Georgian Orthodox Church. Known at the time as part of Sourb Asvatzatzin Church, Kish turned into a residence of Georgian bishop, functioning till 17th century <ref name="raa" ></ref>. The population of Kish converted to Islam in 1720s, however, later when Russia took possession of the region, some villagers returned to Christian faith. In 1836, Albanian church, along with all active churches in this region that were not Georgian or Russian, was incorporated into the ], and the Church of Kish was refounded in 1860s and became a place of pilgrimage for its believed connection with ] (Yegishe) <ref name="raa" />. | |||
| Despite a lack of evidence, some ] and ] scholars continue to identify the church of Kish with that of Gis. <ref>Mammadova, Gulchohra. "''The Azerbaijan-Norwegian Kish Project: Progress Report." The History of Caucasus: Scientific Public Almanac 2''(June 2002). p. 33-40.</ref><ref name=bozo></ref> | |||
| == Research and dating == | |||
| Today, media in Azerbaijan represents the Kish church as the first church built in ] and also the first church built in the ].<ref></ref> | |||
| ⚫ | In 2000-2003 the ] funded a joint project between ] and the ] for archeological research and restoration of the church of Kish. Dr. Vilayat Karimov of Baku's Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography served as the Director of Excavations, and the Archaeological Advisor for the project was ], who currently directs the ] in ], ]. ] of various objects found on the site showed that the cultic site found beneath the ] of the church dates to about 3000 B.C., while the construction of the existing church building dates to about the 12th century (990-1160 A.D.).<ref></ref> | ||
| ⚫ | ==History |
||
| The origins of the town and founding of the church of St. Yeghishe are unclear. Some sources cite this church as the first church founded by St. Elisha the Apostle<ref>"''Meghu Hayastani''" 1881, N 123, p. 1</ref> Without disputing pecularities in the plan of the church, as well as it's previous occupation, the current church is dated from the 12-13th centuries.<ref name="Kish"/>. | |||
| The existing church building cannot be dated to the times of St. Elishe, but the archeological evidence demonstrates that the church is located on an ancient cultic site. It is very unlikely that St. Elishe built in Kish a church in the modern understanding of this word. Even if the person did exist, it appears likely that he built only the altar or used an existing pagan cult structure <ref name="eparhia"/>. | |||
| According to Georgian historgraphy, in the 10th century the population of Kish converted to the Georgian Orthodox Church. It is also alleged that between the 10th and 11th centuries, those very people built Sourb Astvatzatzin Church which later turned into the residence of the Georgian bishop, functioning till the 17th century.<ref>Chubinashvili, G. N., ''The Architecture of Kakhet'' , Tbilisi, 1959, pp. 435-436</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | == References == | ||
| Another record attests to the construction of the church as part of a monastery in 1244 by the Archbishop Serapheme, and it's later destruction during Agha Muhammad Khan's invasions.<ref> "''Caucasian Calendar for 1852''", Tiflis, 1851, p. 271 "''Монастыр во имя Св. Апостола Егишея при селении Киш и Киш построен в 1244 г. по Р. Х. Архидиаконом Серафимом. Опустел во время нашествия Шаха Агамагмада''".</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | <references/> | ||
| In 1310, the Georgian Bishop Kyurile Donauri cites the church under the name of St. Astvatsatsin(Mother of God) and it's historical Armenian settlement<ref>Muradian, P., ''The Georgian Inscriptions of Armenia'', Yerevan, 1977, p. 11</ref>. | |||
| In 1727 the Armenian population was oppressed by the khan, with some scattering, while others being forced to lose their religion. However, they maintained their Armenian names and continued to attend and venerate the monastery.<ref>"''Nor-Dar''" 1889, N 208, p. 2</ref> When Russia came into control of this region many Armenians converts applied to restore their faiths.<ref name="Kish"/> | |||
| In 1836 all active churches in this region that were not Georgian or Russian administered were incorporated into the Armenian Apostolic Church. The church was re-consecrated as part of an ] monastery sometime before 1839, when the sanctuary is mentioned in connection with a robbery of its church objects. <ref name="Kish"/> | |||
| === 19th century expansion === | |||
| Starting with the second half of the 19th century the monastery and church saw much expansion and renovation. In the 1860's, the prior of the monastery, Gevorg Aramiants carried out some overhaul in Kish's Monastery.<ref>"''Ararat''," 1875, pp. 31-32</ref> An Armenian inscription dated 1865 commemorated some of this restoration, but has since disappeared. <ref name="Kish"/> | |||
| === Attacks on the monastery === | |||
| As an Armenian monastery in a Muslim village, there were special difficulties associated with the place. In 1885 some windows of the monastery were broken by locals in relation to a fight that had broken out. <ref>"''Nor-Dar''," 1885, N 135, p. 1</ref> | |||
| The year 1909 showed another example of intolerance towards the existence of an Armenian monastery in the village when the dome cross of the local sanctuary became a target of firing for some Muslims. Facing the protest raised by the Armenians, they promised to repair the leaning cross, otherwise bringing secular authorities to the conflict. <ref>"''Surhandak,''" 1909, N 16, p. 3</ref> | |||
| === Place of pilgrimage === | |||
| In the 19th century, the place was associated with St. Yeghishe and was a famous and sacred place of pilgrimage for the Armenians throughout Transcaucasia. They annually gathered there to celebrate Vardavar.<ref>"''Caucasian Calendar for 1886,''" Tiflis, 1885, p. 151</ref> | |||
| === Kish and the Norwegians === | |||
| In the 1990s ] developed a theory of the Black Sea origins of parts of the Scandinavian race. Based on similarities of names in Norse mythology and names in the Black Sea-region (e.g. ] and Azer / ], ] and ]) Heyerdahl claimed that the Udi ethnic minority in Azerbaijan was the descendants of the ancestors of the Scandinavians. He travelled to Azerbaijan on a number of occasions in the final two decades of his life and visited the Kish church. Heyerdahl's ] was rejected by all serious historians, archaeologists, and linguists but was accepted within a section of Norway's state-run church, the ]. | |||
| Bjorn Wegge, the Director of Information for ], part of Normisyon <ref></ref> - an organisation within the Church of Norway, initiated a 1997 album involving a Norwegian choir and Azeri musicians and singers. It featured a photograph of the Kish church on its cover. The belief in Heyerdahl's theory is explicitly stated in the choice of the album's title: "The Land We Came From", with the choir's leader stating that Azerbaijan was "a culture that may be our long-forgotten homeland".<ref></ref> | |||
| In the late 1990s NHE initiated and organised restoration projects of a disused 19th-century Armenian church in the Udi-populated village of Nij, and the church in Kish. Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded both projects. Allegations of complicity with the Azerbaijan government in cultural cleansing and the re-writing of history have dogged both projects.<ref></ref> | |||
| == See also == | |||
| The Kish church project was also initiated by Bjorn Wegge, Storgfjell describes him as "the father of the project". The restoration of the Kish church was preceded by an archaeological excavation that was also run by NHE and paid for by Norway. The chief archaeologist was the Norwegian J. Bjørnar Storfjell. As a result of a visit to the church by Heyerdahl during the excavation, Storfjell was appointed by Heyerdahl to be the chief archaeologist on an archeological expedition to the Sea of Azov in 2001 to find evidence to back up Heyerdahl's Odin theory. <ref></ref> | |||
| * ] | |||
| == Excavations == | |||
| * ] | |||
| == External links == | |||
| ⚫ | In 2000-2003 the ] funded a joint project between ] and the ] for archeological |
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| ⚫ | ==References== | ||
| <div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;"> | |||
| ⚫ | <references/> | ||
| </div> | |||
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Revision as of 02:19, 12 July 2007
The Church of Kish (Template:Lang-az) is located in the village of Kish approximately 5km north of Shaki, Azerbaijan.
History
According to Moses Kalankatuatsi, in the 1st century B.C. St. Elishe, a disciple of Thaddeus of Edessa, arrived to a place called Gis, where he built a church and recited a liturgy. The church became the "spiritual center and the place of enlightenment of people of the East". On his way from Gis St. Elishe was killed near the pagan altar in small Zerguni valley by unknown people.
According to the Baku eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, the location of Gis mentioned by Movses Kalankatuatsi is identified with the present-day Kish, located on the left bank of river Kura, in Shaki district of Azerbaijan . The Church of Kish was the first church built in Caucasian Albania and in the Caucasus . However, according to to Armenian commentator Karapetian, the geographical position of Kish does not seem to match that described by Kagankatvatsi. Karapetian believes that they have identified Gis as the village of Bomen / Bum 60km to the south-east of Kish, in Gabala district, Uti (Utik) province.
According to Georgian historiography, in the 10th century, the population of Kish converted to the Georgian Orthodox Church. Known at the time as part of Sourb Asvatzatzin Church, Kish turned into a residence of Georgian bishop, functioning till 17th century . The population of Kish converted to Islam in 1720s, however, later when Russia took possession of the region, some villagers returned to Christian faith. In 1836, Albanian church, along with all active churches in this region that were not Georgian or Russian, was incorporated into the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the Church of Kish was refounded in 1860s and became a place of pilgrimage for its believed connection with St. Elishe (Yegishe) .
Research and dating
In 2000-2003 the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded a joint project between Baku State University for Architecture and Construction and the Norwegian Humanitarian Enterprise for archeological research and restoration of the church of Kish. Dr. Vilayat Karimov of Baku's Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography served as the Director of Excavations, and the Archaeological Advisor for the project was J. Bjørnar Storfjell, who currently directs the Thor Heyerdahl Research Centre in Aylesbury, England. Radiocarbon analysis of various objects found on the site showed that the cultic site found beneath the altar of the church dates to about 3000 B.C., while the construction of the existing church building dates to about the 12th century (990-1160 A.D.).
The existing church building cannot be dated to the times of St. Elishe, but the archeological evidence demonstrates that the church is located on an ancient cultic site. It is very unlikely that St. Elishe built in Kish a church in the modern understanding of this word. Even if the person did exist, it appears likely that he built only the altar or used an existing pagan cult structure .
References
- Movses Kalankatuatsi. History of Albania. Book 1, Chapter VI
- ^ Official website of Baku eparchy of Russian Orthodox Church. Architectural heritage of Caucasian Albania
- Interview with Russian Ortodox Baku and Caspian Bishop Alexander
- Movses Kalankatuatsi, open citation, Book 2, Chapter XLVIII
- ^ Samvel Karapetian, "Research on Armenian Architecture", Online Version
- Azerbaijan International Magazine. About the Kish Church Reconstruction Project
See also
External links
- Photo of Church
- Research on Armenian Architecture: Kish village, Shaki District, Republic of Azerbaijan
- The Kish Church
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