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The Discovery of the Medieval Armenian Monastery of Drazark in Kibrislar, Cilicia

Christianian, Jirair · 2020

In 2015, in the course of extensive internet searches, the author came across photographs posted online showing remnants of large crosses on the façade of a building identified as a church converted into a mosque. Close examination of the monument and its geographical setting led him to conclude that the church-mosque contains remains of the famous Cilician Monastery of Drazark, an important medieval Armenian foundation. The article documents the identification and its setting: a rare case of a lost Armenian monastic site being relocated through open-source photographic evidence.

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Published in
Revue des Études Arméniennes, Vol. 39 (2020), pp. 379–420 (Peeters); DOI 10.2143/REA.39.0.3288977
Year
2020
Language
English
DOI
10.2143/REA.39.0.3288977

Citation

Christianian, Jirair 2020. The Discovery of the Medieval Armenian Monastery of Drazark in Kibrislar, Cilicia. Revue des Études Arméniennes, Vol. 39 (2020), pp. 379–420 (Peeters); DOI 10.2143/REA.39.0.3288977. https://doi.org/10.2143/REA.39.0.3288977

What this offers a reader

For students

A lost Armenian monastery found on the internet. That is not a joke: it is the method.

For academics

Armenian-authored rediscovery of a major Cilician monastic site, in the field's flagship European journal.

For the community

One of our great monasteries was standing there the whole time, converted and unrecognized.

For a general reader

How a lost medieval Armenian monastery was rediscovered from photos posted online.

Topics

Cilician ArmeniaArmenian monasteriesarchitectural historyDrazarkheritage identificationArmenian archaeology

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