Surp Garabet Monastery (Çengelli Church)
Surp Garapet Monastery is an Armenian monastery located in the historical Taron region, approximately 30 km northwest of the Turkish province of Muş.
Saint Garabet means "Holy Evangelist" and refers to John the Baptist. John's remains are believed to have been hidden in the area by Gregory the Illuminator at the beginning of the 4th century. The monastery later became the refuge of the Mamikonians, who declared themselves holy warriors of John the Baptist. In the following centuries, the monastery was expanded and renovated many times.
Historically, the church was the religious center of the Taron region and an important pilgrimage site. Considered the most important Armenian monastery in Western Armenia and the second most important Armenian monastery in the world after Etchmiadzin, the monastery was the episcopate of Taron from the 12th to the 20th centuries. The monastery was burned and looted during the 1915 Armenian Genocide, after which it was abandoned. The stones of the monastery have since been used in many Kurdish houses in the region.
The monastery has been named in many different ways throughout history. Glakavank Monastery, which means "monastery of Glak" due to one of the common names Zenob Glaka, was also called Innakniyan vank, meaning "Monastery of the Nine Springs" due to its location.
In Turkish sources, the monastery is called Çanlı Church or Çengelli Church. In some sources, the Armenian name is also used, and in most Turkish sources and travel guides, it is ignored that this is an Armenian monastery.
