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The Armenite

Armeniaca Place

Vaspurakan

HistoryChristianityAlso: Vaspurakan Province, Kingdom of Vaspurakan, Kingdom of the Artsrunis and 2 more

Armenian
Վասպուրական
Region
Lake Van, Western Armenia

Vaspurakan is the historic Armenian province around Lake Van. The Artsruni family ruled it as a kingdom under the Abbasid caliphs, and Van, the Urartian Tushpa, lay within it. King Gagik I Artsruni built the church of the Holy Cross at Aghtamar between 915 and 921.1

In 927 the seat of the Armenian Catholicosate moved to Aghtamar and in 947 to Arghina.1 In 1021 the last king, Senekerim-Hovhannes Artsruni, gave up his crown to Byzantium, and Byzantium annexed Vaspurakan in 1022.12

The apostle Thaddeus is said to have preached in Artaz and to have been put to death there, and Bartholomew is said to have worked in Great Aghbak in Vaspurakan.3

The monastery of Narek, where Gregory of Narek became a monk, stood on the southeastern shore of Lake Van.4

In 1915 the Armenians of Van defended their city, and Aram Manukian was then appointed governor of Free Vaspurakan.5

Sources

  1. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. “Akdamar Church.” Tentative List of Türkiye, no. 6035. link. ↩
  2. “Armenia: The marzpans.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. link. ↩
  3. “Holy Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew.” Liturgical calendar, Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. link. ↩
  4. “St. Gregory of Narek and his Times, 9th–11th Centuries.” ARAK29 Educational and Cultural Foundation. link. ↩
  5. “Defense of Van” (article by Aram Hovasapyan). Armenian National Committee of America, Western Region. link. ↩