Medieval Armenian Culture

This article examines the merchant and commodity networks of Trebizond as well as routes at the regional, interregional, and international levels that connected the city to Constantinople, the rest the Black Sea, Armenia, the Near East and the Caucuses in the early Middle Ages. After a brief survey of the commercial history of Trebizond from the late antique period to the eleventh century, the economy of the Pontic region and its commercial exchanges with various regions are investigated in detail. The available evidence shows that the list of commodities exchanged between Pontos and its neighbours were longer, and the networks of merchants and routes were more complex than assumed thus far. Trebizond's advantage as a port town for landlocked territories to its south and east (especially the large Iranian and Iraqi markets at the end of the Silk/Spice Route), as well as its close ties with Constantinople and the rest of the Black Sea, established the Pontic capital as a vital emporium. Benefiting from the increasing economic development in Byzantium and its neighbours, the prosperity of the Pontic region and is main city Trebizond is most visible in the period from the mid-ninth to the mid-eleventh centuries.

Pour le paléographe, il est plus commode de travailler avec des classifications nettes et des périodisations distinctes qu’en suivant une tradition confuse. Les styles d’écriture arménienne ne sont pas clairement définis, et il est commun de mélanger un type avec un autre. Une véritable catégorisation universelle n’est véritablement apparue qu’avec l’imprimerie, où l’idiosyncrasie du scribe laisse la place à une implacable logique des formes de lettres.

This book contains the lectures concerning the history of the exploration of the  Armenian  medieval art during 1830-1950.It represents the impact of the scholars of different nationalities in the exploration of the Armenian architecture, sculpture, mural painting, manuscript illumination, silverwork and etc

The English version of an exploration of Armenian manuscript art for a vast exhibition catalogue on the occasion the 500th anniversary of Armenian printing, 1512-2012.  The exhibit was held in the famous Correr Museum in the Piazzo San Marco using book items from its rich collection with loans from the Mekhitarist Brotherhood collection at San Lazzaro in the Venice lagoon and from various collections in Yerevan, Armenia.  The French version is posted below.

Medieval Armenian culture had an openly Christian iconographic and ideological background. Civil life, everyday activities and their various facets rarely found expression and, where thus happened, they were adapted to a Christian context. This particularly concerns medieval sculpture that, made for churches and appearing in stelae, clearly had a public character and was a typical example of dialogue between the Church and the faithful. The image was aimed in the first instance at the community and was intended to fulfil the role that a book might have for an educated person. In the centuries following the arrival of Christianity in Armenia (fourth century, but to a greater extent in the fifth and sixth centuries), the active propaganda of the new faith stands out, one of the main intents of which was to show the saving mission of Christ through various iconographic, figurative and symbolic themes (Annunciation, Birth, Baptism, Virgin and Child, etc.).

À la fin du Haut Moyen Âge, plusieurs thèmes de l'iconographie chrétienne ayant trait à l'interprétation des scènes de l'Apocalypse montrent un plus grand recours aux motifs géométriques. Ces derniers se substituent aux éléments figuratifs caractéristiques des représentations de l'art paléochrétien. C'est particulièrement le cas des scènes tirées de la vision de saint Jean qui, étant investies initialement d'une signification ecclésiale, se voient conférer progressivement des connotations eschatologiques.

Апстракт: У раду се приказују промене које су визуелне шеме неких хришћанских представа, првенствено оних сачињених од геометријских фи-гура које су потицале из математичких и астрономских приручника, претр-пеле крајем раног средњег века. Веза која се у овој епохи успоставља између библијске иконографије и цртежа из научних рукописа нуди широко поље истраживања из многих перспектива. Овом приликом интересовање за дати феномен условљено је иконографским преображајима који су диктирани садржајем слика и њиховим новим есхатолошким тумачењима На почетку средњовековне епохе иконографски метод који користи небеске представе узете из астрономских и рачунских трактата односи се углавном на апока-липтички контекст виђења светог Јована Богослова, а међу њима су и оне које се анализирају у раду: представе Maiestas Domini и небеског Јерусалима у западној уметности од VIII до X столећа. Проучавање ових раних ико-нографских примера важно је због тога што се метод може применити и на друге теме из средњовековне верске уметности када је у питању истицање есхатолошке димензије представљених сцена. Кључне речи: хришћанска иконографија, апокалипса (откривење), есхатологија, астрономски и рачунски трактати, научни дијаграми, небески точак, илуминирани рукописи, Христос у величанству, Maiestas Domini, не-бески Јерусалим.

The “Letter of Love and Concord” is a unique source, which allows us a glimpse into the political and religious aspirations of the Armenian Cilician elite at the end of the twelfth century, alluding to its hopes and expectations from the Crusades and the Church of Rome, as well as its uneasy relationship with the Byzantine Empire. The “Letter” is especially valuable for the wealth of information it contains on the royal ideology nurtured within the highest circles of the ruling Rubenid dynasty. The study provides an analysis of the sources used by its anonymous author, placing them within a historical context. Moreover, this marks the first time that a text based on the study of surviving sixty nine manuscripts along with its English translation has been made available for scholars.

Armenian is among the dozens of languages in which the Romance of Alexander the Great was translated. In antiquity Armenians felt at home in both the West and the East, the Greek world of the Mediterranean and the Persian Empire of the Near East; they took a special and early interest in the life and deeds of Alexander the Great. Armenian nobility fought on both sides of the battle of Gaugamela (331 B.C.). The Orontid kings of Armenia were descended from the Achaemenid line; the Artaxiad kings also claimed Persian descent, though they were allies from time to time of the Romans, while the most famous of them, Tigranes the Great, tried to bring Armenia into the Hellenistic world. the Armenian Arsacid dynasty originated when the brother of the Parthian great king of Iran came to rule as the king of Armenia. The translation of the Alexander Romance took place after nearly five centuries of Armenian Arsacid rule had ended and Armenia, already Christianized for more than a century, accepted political vassalage under the Sasanian rulers of Iran while connected to the great universal religion of the Byzantine and Latin west. This historical dimension makes the relationship between Armenia and Alexander ambiguous, for though it is clear that the Latin and Byzantine traditions allied themselves with Alexander as a champion of their culture and the Islamic world of Arabs, Persians, and Turks adopted him as a descendent of the great Achaemenid dynasty, Armenians could claim a legitimate sympathy to both the oriental and the occidental Alexander.

Medieval Armenian churches located within the boundaries of the Province of Kars are being studied since 2010 within the framework of the surface survey named Medieval Armenian Churches in Kars and Its Environs (except Ani). The purpose of this article is to introduce Karmirvank (Çoban Kilise) which we studied in years 2010-2012, 2014 and 2017 and which is not so well known in Armenian architecture, by revealing its architectural and ornamental characteristics and evaluating opinions about its construction date. Throughout the text, first the location and present condition of the monastery have been mentioned, then the architectural structure, ornaments and inscriptions have been explained in the light of data collected during our field survey, supported with images and drawings and finally a general evaluation has been made taking into consideration information in relevant publications.
Very little information has been found about Karmirvank in 19.-20. Century publications on Armenian architecture. T. Toramanyan was the first researcher who examined and introduced the monastery’s architecture to the world of science. The original dedication of Karmirvank is unknown. It has been named as Karmirvank in publications since it is mentioned so on the inscription found in the monastery’s church. Locally it is known as “Çoban Kilise”. It is not possible to identify neither the construction date nor the original dedication of the church although there are three inscriptions in Armenian in Karmirvank. However, the inscription on the southern facade dated to 1165 provides significant evidence that the structure was present before this period. The monastery’s construction date is estimated to be early 10th or 11th century considering the architectural features of Karmirvank, its location between Ani and Horomos Monastery and construction activities during the Armenian Kingdom.
In conclusion, Karmirvank is one of the important examples of Medieval Armenian architecture having survived to present with its architectural structure and inscriptions, although there is very little information about it in publications. Within this context, all available data has been evaluated and a detailed introduction of Karmirvank is aimed to be given in this article supported with drawings and images.

The dissertation presented for the M.A. Degree discusses for the first time one of the still unpublished 11th century A.D. spiritual treatises of one of key figures and Spiritual leaders of the Armenian Church. A father, a spiritual leader, an organizer and educator that he was, he undertook a gigantic task in organizing the religious texts of the Armenian Church in his time. He went through hardships and worked diligently and education was his true ministry.

Armenians had compiled some church law collections until the 12th century, but they did not have any national law code (codex) regulating social life. The law code written by Mkhitar Gosh in 1184 aimed to fulfill this need and became the first national law code in Armenian history. The law code of Gosh deeply affected the Armenian community and was used by Armenians in various parts of the world for many centuries. This law code has particular importance in terms of Turkish history. Since the law code was written at a time when Turkish rule in Anatolia had been established, it provides important data in terms of understanding the socio-cultural structure of that period. Therefore, this study, on the one hand, focuses on the aim of writing the law code, its sources, implementation, and impact on the Armenian society, and on the other hand, it aims to reveal how the relations with the "others" were regulated in the medieval Armenian community through the articles of law code. In this regard, the articles of the law code were examined via two different Armenian editions along with its English translations. The study has also made use of secondary sources concerning the law code and the period. As a result of this study, it was seen that Mkhitar Gosh wrote the law code to prevent interactions between Armenians and the “others”, and to prevent the erosion of Armenian identity. However, by examining the articles of law code, it is revealed that Armenians had in fact interacted with “others”, and consequently, cross-cultural marriages and conversions were experienced in medieval times.

The peculiar monuments of early medieval art – the tetrahedral stelae and memorial columns
– are preserved on the territory of Transcaucasus and, in particular, of historical Armenia.
Those monuments are strongly tied with the art of the Eastern Christian world and through it
with the traditions of late Antique art. Armenian memorial columns have much in common with
late Antique triumphal columns, and their depictions are present in early Christian pavements
and miniatures. As for tetrahedral stelae with reliefs, they have something in common with early
Byzantine
minor architecture. The style and iconography of reliefs covering tetrahedral stelae
give every reason to date them back to the seventh century. Moreover, we consider that the erection
of the above-mentioned monuments was related to certain historical events: the liberation
and restitution of the True Cross to Jerusalem (628). The sacred war of Emperor Heraclius,
which took place on the territory of historical Armenia, was seen as an event of Armenian history
and left a tangible trace in its history and literary tradition. So, it’s not surprising that the
geographical location of tetrahedral stelae on the territory of Armenia, and Transcaucasus in
general, determines a certain ‘way’ which coincides with the ‘itinerary’ of Heraclius’ army, along
which churches and monasteries were founded and dedicated to the Holy Cross.

This article provides the detailed descriptions of two Armenian manuscripts kept in two Swiss collections - Martin Bodmer Foundation in Cologny (Codex Bodmer 34) and Stiftsbibliothek of Saint Gall (No. 1513). The manuscript of the Bodmer Foundation is a 17th-century Gospel manuscript, which also comprises a hitherto unpublished version of Step'anos Siwnec'i's Commentary of Canon Tables, whose text and an annotated translation are given in the present article. Given the theological and historical importance of this manuscript's colophon, its complete translation is also provided.
The second manuscript is a handwritten copy of Joachim Schröder's Thesaurus Linguae Armenicae, copied in 1775 by a local monk at the Abbey of Saint Gall, where it continues to be preserved.

Сюжетные рельефы на хачкарах Арцаха—уникальное явление во всем средневековом армянском искусстве. Подобные рельефы не встречаются ни на хачкарах других регионов Армении, ни в других культурных комплексах вплоть до XV в. Рельефные сцены на хачкарах в принципе не имеют ничего общего с официальным христианством, хотя и помещены рядом с крестом и сопровождаются каноническими надписями-прошениями, обращенными к Справедливому Суду в Конце Времен. На рельефах изображены воины н ремесленники, князья и священники, женщины и дети. Однако это не просто посмертные портреты, призванные лишь увековечить память. Подробное их рассмотрение выявляет контуры целого ряда народных представлений, важными узлами которых являются «книга жизни», «лик и имя», «вечный бой», «вечный пир» и др.

An overview of historical articles and especially catalogues of exhibitions on Armenian art and culture in Europe for a museum show during the Year of Armenia in France (l'Année de l'Arménie en France) in 2007.  The exhibit, for a variety of reasons, became a virtual one, even though a catalogue was printed, but with some articles omitted including this one, which has remained unpublished.

An Armenian religious community settled in Orvieto in the 13th century and founded the church and hospice of Santo Spirito, where they provided hospitality to pilgrims on the Via Francigena. Archaeological traces of their presence include a travertine gate with a trilingual inscription, reused in the church of San Domenico (Orvieto), the remains of the church of Santo Spirito, and art pieces removed from the latter. Contemporary Latin documents and an analysis of the historical context suggest that the Armenian presence was well-received by the lay and clerical authorities, and even held as prestigious.

After the fall of the Sāsānian Empire, Armenians under Arab pressure asked for help from the Roman emperor. Constans II, whereupon, declared Tʿēodoros Ṙštuni as patrik and then tried to tie the Armenian Church to Constantinople. Armenians, however, rejected the attempt and formed an alliance with Arabs. Sebēos, Armenian historian and bishop noted, “All the Armenian princes made a pact with death and contracted an alliance with hell”. In this context, the purpose of this study is to indicate the choice of Tʿēodoros Ṙštuni between two poles, to emphasize the historical context of this “alliance with hell” and to examine the gains and losses of the Armenians after this pact

Natalia Abelian (Fomina) investigates the influence of stone carving from the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire on the stone work (lithic) art canon of the British Isles in the seventh century in her paper, `Re-Introduction of Lithic Discourse to Britain and Ireland: Armenian-Byzantine Influence'. She refers to the importation of stone workers and stone carvers from the East to Britain and the important role played by Theodore of Tarsus (Cilicia), the Archbishop of Canterbury since 669, on artistic, religious and historical matters.

In recent years, Byzantine, Saljuq, Armenian and Georgian architecture have been increasingly studiedin
a cross-cultural perspective that takes into account
the varied geography and cultures of the region. The
historiography of Anatolia, particularly, has received
close attention as the medieval history and architecture of this period are reevalutated.
1
Within this complex historical context, the connections between architecture in the various regions are often blurred by
divided historiographies, and by the limits of primary
sources. Bringing together studies on various aspects
of architecture opens fruitful avenues for cross-re
gional comparisons that are difficult to maintain in a
single study. The articles in this volume engage with
recent scholarship by investigating case studies from
these regions.

The Portrait of the Donator of the Gospel of Adrianopole (To the question of the origin of the manuscript)
One of the Armenian illustrated manuscripts that was not sufficiently studied is the Gospel of Adrianople. It is kept in Mekhitarist congregation in Venice. In the manuscript we can see eight tables of concordance, two portraits of evangelists, the Mother of God with Christ and the donator. The characteristic features of the manuscript is that its style is close to the Byzantine models and belongs to the so-called “byzantic” group. So we have two main problems: to see the “byzantic” feature in the miniatures of the Gospel of Adrianople and to give the characteristics of the artistic surrounding of the given manuscript. Successfully, the colophon which is kept in the Gospel gives full information about the codex: where and when it was created, who the donator and the copyist were. The information we have in the colophon, the portrait of the donator, the Greek inscriptions and other facts from the history of the period give us possibilities to re-create the historical and artistic surrounding. The conclusions we came to are: the Gospel of  Adrianople is created by the Chalcedonian Armenians that were living in western regions of Byzantine Empire and the unknown Armenian miniaturist had professional training in Greek workshop.

В статье рассмотрена история использования в Армении эпохи Багратидов чеканов – отдельного вида боевых топоров, в которых на обратной стороне обуха имеется ярко выраженный выступ. Доказано, что данное оружие существовало в тогдашней Армении и использовалось под влиянием восточных номадов. Благодаря классификации археологи-ческих находок топоров с территории средневековой Армении было выделено 2 чекана и 1 топор (X–XI/XIII вв.), которые могли использоваться как в хозяйственных, так и в боевых целях. Была отброшена идея предшествующих историков и археологов о исключительном хозяйственном предназначении найденных артефактов. Изображения чеканов было най-дено на армянских миниатюрах Х–ХІ вв., а их сравнения с византийскими и более позд-ними армянскими миниатюрами только подтверждают идею о их популярности и боевом использовании.

HAMMER AXES IN BAGRATID ARMENIA (9TH–11TH CC.) (BASED ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND FIGURATIVE SOURCES)

The article deals with the military history of Bagratid Armenia, namely with the use of the hammer axe – specific type of battle-axe which has a hammer-head on the back side. The idea that such weapon was used in Armenia at that time and became popular under nomad influences has been proved. Thanks to the classification of archaeological finds from the territory of Medieval Armenia 1 axe and 2 hammer axes were detected, which could be used for military purposes (10th–11th/13th cc.). The idea of preceding historians that these artefacts were used only for household purposes was declined. Depictions of hammer axes were found on Armenian miniatures of the 10th–11th cc. and their comparisons to Byzantine and later Armenian miniatures only prove the idea of their usage and popularity.

ՄԻՋՆԱԴԱՐՅԱՆ ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆԻ ԲԱԳՐԱՏՈՒՆԻՆԵՐԻ ԴԱՐԱՇՐՋԱՆԻ (ІХ–ХІ ԴԴ.) ՄԱՐՏԱԿԱՆ ՉԵԿԱՆՆԵՐԸ (ՀՆԱԳԻՏԱԿԱՆ ԵՎ ՆԿԱՐԱԶԱՐԴ ԱՂԲՅՈՒՐՆԵՐԻ ՀԻՄԱՆ ՎՐԱ)

Հոդվածում դիտարկվել է Բագրատունիների դարաշրջանի Հայաստա-նում չեկանների` մարտական կացինների առանձին տեսակի օգտագործման պատմությունը: Կացինների գլխիկի հակառակ կողմում եղել է արտահայտված ելուստ: Ապացուցվել է, որ այս զենքը գոյություն է ունեցել հիշյալ ժամանակա-շրջանի Հայաստանում և օգտագործվել է արևելյան քոչվորների ազդեցությամբ: Հնագիտական գտածո կացինների դասակարգմամբ միջնադարյան Հայաստանի տարածքից (X-XI/XIII դդ.) առանձնացվել է 2 չեկան և 1 կացին, որոնք կարող էին օգտագործվել ինչպես տնտեսական, այնպես էլ մարտական նպատակներով: Բացառվել է պատմաբանների և հնագետների կարծիքը գտածոյի բացառապես տնտեսական գործառության մասին: Չեկանների պատկերազարդումները հայտնաբերվել են X-XIդդ. հայկական մանրանկարներում, իսկ դրանց համե-մատումը բյուզանդական և ավելի ուշ հայկական մանրանկարների հետ միայն հաստատում է վերջիններիս հանրաճանաչությունը և մարտական օգտագործ-ման անհրաժեշտությունը:

Türkler ve Ermeniler arasında kökleri 12. yüzyıla dayanan ortak
yaşama tecrübesi, kültürlerarası etkileşim için elverişli bir ortam
hazırlamıştır. Türkler ve Ermeniler arasında hayatın pek çok alanında kültürel etkileşimler yaşanmıştır. Bu kültürel etkileşimlerin yaşandığı alanlardan biri de kentsel hayattır. 13. yüzyılda Türk kültürünün bir parçası olarak Anadolu’nun hemen her yerinde faaliyet gösteren ahîlik teşkilatı, Ermeniler tarafından kendi sosyal yapıları içerisinde, toplumu rahatsız eden genç, işsiz,  başıboş erkek nüfus sorununu çözmek için örnek alınmıştır. Ermeni Kilisesi’nin de desteğiyle bu topluluklar ahîlik teşkilatı tarzında örgütlenmiş kardeşlikler (եղբայրություններ) içerisinde toplanmış ve kontrol altına alınmıştır. İlk olarak 1280 yılında Erzincan’da görülen ve 19. yüzyıla kadar dünyada Ermenilerin yaşadığı çeşitli şehirlerde de ortaya çıkan ahîlik tarzı Ermeni kardeşlikleri, kentsel hayatta yaşanan Türk-Ermeni etkileşimine bir örnektir. Bahsi geçen bu kardeşlikler, yapı olarak ahîlik örgütünü kendisine örnek aldığı için Anadolu Türk ahîliği ile yapısal açıdan benzerlikler göstermektedir.

A number of examples of unusual iconography in the Life Cycle of Christ in Armenian miniature painting serve to underline the diversity of this Eastern Christian tradition and its reliance on a multitude of sources, some of which still prove to be enigmatic. In the first section on the Virgin as the Second Eve, a theme also found in Latin manuscripts, the emphasis is on the abundant apocryphal literature popular in Armenia, especially in isolated regions and monasteries. It relies heavily on the popular Infancy Gospel of Jesus. The second and third sections revolve around the symbolic interpretation of the pelican as a metaphor for the Crucifixion and Resurrection based on the second century Greek work, the Physiologus, which interprets animals and other natural phenomena through Christian allegories and was translated into Armenian probably in the mid-fifth century. The appearance of the bird on top of the cross of the Crucifixion is a very popular and general theme in Italian Renaissance painting. The final section deals with the unusual theme of the Baptism by the Blood of Christ, found brilliantly depicted in the early eighteenth century engravings of the printer and artist Grigor Marzvanec‘i working in Constantinople. For the latter iconography no satisfactory precedent has been found.

The paper provides on overview on the negotiations about a union of churches and military cooperation against the Turks respectively the Mamluks between Byzantium, Cilician Armenia and the Papacy in the 1320s and 1330s. In the final section, a simple game theoretical model is presented in order to explain the failure of these and similar attempts. The paper was orginally presented at the International Conference "The Union of Ferrara-Florence 1439-2009" in Cluj-Napoca (Romania) in 2009. Slides are online here: http://www.academia.edu/1691205/The_Crusade_as_Hope_the_Union_as_Instrument._Negotiations_on_a_Union_of_Churches_between_Byzantium_Cilician_Armenia_and_Western_Europe_in_the_1320s_and_1330s_in_German_

Nach einer zwanzigjährigen Pause besuchte der Vortragende – diesmal von Georgien aus – auf drei Reisen in den Jahren 2010-2011 wieder das ehemals georgische Gebiet von Tao-Klarjeti, das er in seiner 1996 vollendeten Dissertation ausführlich beschrieben hatte. Dabei gelangen ihm im Grenzgebiet zu Georgien einige Wiederentdeckungen, wie die Burgen „Kalla Bojnja“ und Kurtkale, die bisher wegen ihrer Lage für moderne Forscher nicht zugänglich waren.
Südlich davon konnte nicht nur das jetzt in ein Freilichtmuseum umgewandelte Ani, die Hauptstadt Großarmeniens im Mittelalter, besucht werden, sondern auch einige Baudenkmäler in der Nähe, wie Karmir Vank‘, Oghuzlu und das Horomos-Kloster; ferner Gyumri, Marmašen, Ereruk, Noravank‘ und Tat‘ev. Den Abschluss bildet ein kurzer Besuch in Berg-Karabach / Arcax (Stepanakert, Dandivank‘, Ganjasar).

Iconographic Features of Armenian-Chalcedonian Monuments (the 10th – 13th centuries)
We can talk about Armenian-Chalcedonian monuments starting from the end of the 10th century, when orthodox Armenians separated from national community, because of confessional and cultural differeces. The iconographic program of Chalcedonian monuments had a strong Byzantine orientation and at the same time highlighted their national and confessional attribute. One of the typical features was an idea of Armenian-Georgian church commonness (Ishkhan, the end of the 10th c., the frescoes of Petritson monastery, the beg. Of the 12th c., Akhtala and Tigran Honents church, the 13th c.) and the symbolic representations of Mother church (Sabeereby, the 10th c., Dortkilise – the last quarter of the 10th c.). Another important feature was the adherence to the orthodox church traditions shown in liturgical compositions: Communion (Akhtala, Tigran Honents, Kobayr, the 13th c.), Deesis (the relief of Oshkvank, the end of the 10th c., the miiature of Trabzon Gospel, the second half of the 11th c., the frescoes of Ketcharuyk, the mid of the 11th c., Hagpat, the beg. Of the 13th c.), and also Pantokrator (the Trabzon Gospel) and Our Saviour (Tigran Honents, Kirats, the small church of Kobayr, the 13th c.). It is important to mention inscriptions made in two or three languages that usually exist on such kinds of monuments. Ignoring any of these pictographic features leads to the wrong interpretation of a particular cultural event like the art of orthodox Armenians.

Surveys of the Medieval Armenian Churches (except Ani) in and around Kars have been carried out since 2010 with the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, and the General Staff. Shortly, the purpose of the survey is to identify and document the Armenian monasteries and churches built in the Middle Ages in and around Kars (except Ani), which are included in our cultural heritage belonging to different civilizations, to prepare the building catalogs and to make architectural evaluations of a period. In 2013, which was the fourth season of the research, Armenian monasteries and churches in the central districts and villages of Kars, the central and villages of Digor town, the central and villages of Akyaka town especially the military border, were examined. This report is contained survey description, plans, drawings and photograps of Bagnayr Monastery (Kozluca Monastery) in Kozluca village, Shepherd Church in Ocaklı village, Church in Alaca village (Argo Aritch?), Chapel in Ataköy village (Greek church), Chapel and Khtzkonk Monastery/Beşkilise (Surp Asdvadzadzin Church, Surp Stephanos Church, Surp Garabet Church, Surp Krikor Lusavoriç Church and Surp Sakis Church) in Digor town, Agarak/Surp Stephanos Church in Derinöz (Ekrek) village, Church (now converted mosque) in Varlı (Zibni) village, Chapel in near Varlı (Zibni) village, Church in Kocaköy (Nahçevan) village, in Akyaka town; Church in Kalkankale village and Surp Pirgiç Church in Çetindurak (Şirakavan) village.