Church of the Holy Cross at Soradir

Monastery of the Holy Cross at Soradir or Dzoradir ՁՈՐԱԴԻՐԻ Սբ. ԷՋՄԻԱԾԻՆ վանք
Shown within Turkey
Basic information
Location	Turkey
Geographic coordinates	38°15′46″N 44°15′09″E / 38.262670°N 44.252582°E / 38.262670; 44.252582Coordinates: 38°15′46″N 44°15′09″E / 38.262670°N 44.252582°E / 38.262670; 44.252582
Affiliation	Armenian Apostolic Church
Region	Eastern Anatolia Region
Province	Van Province
District	Başkale
Status	Ceased functioning as a monastery in 1915
Heritage designation	None
Architectural style	Armenian
Completed	6th century

The Church of the Holy Cross at Soradir is a 6th-century Armenian monastic complex in south-eastern Turkey. It is situated west of the village of Yanal near the town and district of Başkale in Van Province.

History

The Monastery of the Holy Cross at Soradir or Dzoradir (Armenian: ՁՈՐԱԴԻՐԻ Սբ. ԷՋՄԻԱԾԻՆ վանք) was built in the 6th century by the apprentice of the architect of the Saint Bartholomew Monastery; the site corresponds to a settlement in the Metz Aghbak district of Vaspurakan province of historical Armenia.^[1] According to Armenian inscriptions found inside the main church, in 582 with the sponsorship of Saro Mahtesi the church's dome and western threshold were reconstructed. In the 10th century, the Armenian king Gurgen III Artzruni entrusted the architect Manuel to build the Saint Cross of Akhtamar monastery copying the design of the Dzoradir monastery. It was a functioning Armenian monastery until the Armenian Genocide in 1915.

Current condition

After the Armenian Genocide, the monastery has sat in a abandoned and only one graffitied and derelict church building remains extant.^[2]

References