Noratus Khachkars IV (explored)
The cemetery chapel in the little town of Noratus (pop. 6,700) by the shores of Lake Sevan in Armenia. The cemetery contains an open air museum of what Armenians call ‘khachkars’. It is now the largest collection of khackhars in the world.
A khachkar is a carved, memorial stele bearing a cross, and often with additional motifs such as rosettes, interlaces, and botanical motifs.
The most common khachkar feature is a cross surmounting a rosette or a solar disc. The remainder of the stone face is typically filled with elaborate patterns of leaves, grapes, pomegranates, and bands of interlace. Occasionally a khachkar is surmounted by a cornice sometimes containing biblical or saintly figures, although this is less common as the art form developed in response to Armenia’s long period being ruled by Muslim powers who were sceptical towards or outright forbad the depiction of human figures.
The oldest khachkars in the Noratus cemetery date back to the late 10th Century, but many date from the revival of the khachkar tradition in the 16-17th Centuries.
Noratus Khachkars IV (explored)
The cemetery chapel in the little town of Noratus (pop. 6,700) by the shores of Lake Sevan in Armenia. The cemetery contains an open air museum of what Armenians call ‘khachkars’. It is now the largest collection of khackhars in the world.
A khachkar is a carved, memorial stele bearing a cross, and often with additional motifs such as rosettes, interlaces, and botanical motifs.
The most common khachkar feature is a cross surmounting a rosette or a solar disc. The remainder of the stone face is typically filled with elaborate patterns of leaves, grapes, pomegranates, and bands of interlace. Occasionally a khachkar is surmounted by a cornice sometimes containing biblical or saintly figures, although this is less common as the art form developed in response to Armenia’s long period being ruled by Muslim powers who were sceptical towards or outright forbad the depiction of human figures.
The oldest khachkars in the Noratus cemetery date back to the late 10th Century, but many date from the revival of the khachkar tradition in the 16-17th Centuries.