Saint Sarkis Monastery of Ushi

Saint Sarkis Monastery is a large monastic complex, 45 by 54 metres just outside the village of Ushi in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. It sits at the far side of what was once a settlement site from the 3rd - 1st millennia BC. The monastery is a well known pilgrimage site, and was one of the centers of spiritual education in Armenia. Many fine examples of early Armenian architecture from various periods can be seen around the complex. The monastery is known to have had a brief visit during September 1734 by Abraham Kretatsi during the time while he was serving the Catholicos Abraham II while on his pilgrimage to a number of monasteries at the Catholicos' request. The Catholicos had said to him, I have not traveled anywhere for a long time and my heart is very heavy. In Kretratsi's writings he says that: Two or three days after savoring this spiritual and corporal happiness, we went to the church of Saint Sarkis in Ushi. While we were there, Hakobyan, the melik of Yerevan, who had been summoned at the Catholicos, arrived. A horseman arrived from Tbilisi the same day. He brought the news, as well as an official letter to inform us, that Isak Pasha, has, without any reason, had ordered the strangling of Ashichal Bek, the melik of our people the Armenians in Tbilisi. He had kept his corpse hanging on the city gate until he received 50,000 kurush which he had permitted he body to be buried.
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