The temple of Garni (Arménie/Armenia)

Описание: Garrni (also Romanized as Garni; until 1936, Bash Gyarni) is a village in the Armenian province of Kotayk', situated approx. 32 km southeast from Yerevan, notable for its fortress complex. As it lies on the road to the well known monastery of Geghard (further 7 km southeast) it receives a large number of visitors.
In the 3rd millennium BC the first fortification was constructed on an easily defendable terrain at one of the bends of the Azat river. It was conquered in the 8th century BC by the Urartian king Argishti I and the site became a military base and the king's summer residence. Several additional buildings were constructed since then, such as the king's palace, baths and the site's most famous and best preserved building, a Parthenon like temple. Of particular interest is the bathhouse, located in the northern part of the site which has a preserved heating reservoir. The interior floor is decorated with a colour mosaic with depictions of Greek mythological figures, such as Tethys. One of the intact inscriptions in Koine Greek reads: ΜΗΔΕΝ ΛΑΒΟΝΤΕΣ ΗΡΓΑΣΑΜΕΘΑ (Without receiving anything we toiled).

The temple was constructed in the 1st century AD by the King Tiridates I of Armenia and probably funded with money the king received from emperor Nero during his visit to Rome. The temple, resting on an elevated podium, was most likely dedicated to the god Mithras. The roof is supported by 24 Ionic columns on Attic bases. Unlike other Greco-Roman temples, it is made of basalt. It was sacked in 1386 by Timur Lenk. The town contains the ruins of a 4th century church. In 1679 it was destroyed by an earthquake. Most of the original pieces remained at the site until the 20th century, allowing the building to be reconstructed between 1969 and 1979.
In recent years another theory arose among some archeologists. They claim that the temple was actually constructed as the tomb for an Armeno-Roman ruler, probably Sohaemus. In that case it should have been constructed around 175 AD and thus about a century younger than indicated by the first theory.
After the adoption of Christianity some churches and a katholikos' palace were also constructed at the fortification site, but these are now in ruins like most of the other buildings except the temple.
Other sites of Garni outside the fortification site include churches of Mother of God and St. Mashtots as well as ruins of the Havuts Tar monastery several killometers south east from the village. Much of the population descends from people settled in the population exchange of 1829-1830, following the Treaty of Turkmenchay between Russia and Persia.

Le temple païen de Garni ("Գառնի" en arménien) n'est pas l'unique monument hellénistique de l'Arménie. Il est situé dans la province de Kotayk'.C'est un bon exemple de l'ordre ionique romain.
Le second temple qui se trouve non loin de la ville d'Artashat, à environ 30 kilomètres au sud-est d'Erevan, était consacré à Mihr - le Dieu du Soleil dans la mythologie arménienne. Le temple aurait fonctionné du IIe siècle av. J.-C. au Ve siècle de notre ère.

Garni a été construit sous le roi Tiridate Ier (77) avec ses remparts et autres monuments aux alentours. Tout l'édifice est construit sur un plateau triangulaire et reprend cette forme. Le temple consacré à Mithra, dieu du soleil, appelé « le Temple du Soleil » s'est écroulé en 1679 à la suite d'un séisme. Il est restauré dans les années 1970 en utilisant l'énorme quantité de ruines et éléments authentiques demeurés sur place. Les parties manquantes ont été ajoutées en tentant de respecter les méthodes de construction.

Le temple de Garni est construit en basalte, une pierre vocanique. Au-dessus du stylobate s'élèvent les murs du naos et les 24 colonnes du portique. On accède à l'entrée principale par de larges gradins. Le complexe de la forteresse, résidence des rois arméniens, comportait des édifices palatins, des logements pour la garnison de la forteresse et d'autres locaux, aujourd'hui disparus.
(wikipedia)

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