Монастырь Србанес (деревня Ардви, Армения)

Шаблон:Churcht St.John Monastery (Ardvi) Монастырь св. Ованнеса (Ардви) Ardvi, St.John Monastery, 8-17th century Photo by Sergey Chatrchyan http://freenet.am/~davhak/

Srpanes Monastery (Ardvi)

Ardvi village is one of the ancient villages of the republic in the region of Tumanyan. It is located in 17 km. from the center of the region. According to Armenian manuscripst and folklore it is connected with the name of Hovan Odznetsi, Imastaser Catholicos (717-728). It is famous for Srpanes (i.e., Sourb (Saint) Hovanes) or Hovanes Odznetsi's monastery and is situated in the north-west of the village next to the medieval cemetary. It consists of two buildings that do not have constructive connections with each other. The churches are built of non-huge and irregular stones, and only, the three-layers in the lower part of the northern church, are exceptionally built of bright stones.

Perhaps this monastery was restored during the construction of other monuments in the 17th century. This conclusion is based on the existing monumental manuscripts, according to which Hovhan Odznetsi Catholicos had built a hermitage not far from his native village Odzun, where he was buried after his death. The monastic complex consists of a belfry and four- sided obelisk, that immediately attract one's attention.The height of the following obelisk is 2,2m and it is covered with interesting ornaments.

According to the testimony of the village habitants, the moastery was last reconstructed in 1999. Not far from the monastery one may see the so-called epic "Snake's belly-button " place. The latter is connected with the following national epos, as if Hovhan Odznets saw a snake once and then he stroke it with his stick. The snake became a stone. And this is how the snake-like view has appeared on the cliff and water flows from its belly-button.

Really, one of the layers of the cliff has a snake-like view that stretched alongside of the cliff. On the middle of the sciene one can see a water-fall that people call "the belly-button" and this water is considered to be holy and healthy.