Surp Marinos Monastery

The Gürpınar Valley, once known as the Hayots Dzor, or Valley of the Armenians, is a fertile swath of land stretching east from the shores of Lake Van into the rugged hills. The valley is an important locale in the legendary history of the Armenian peoples, according to which Hayk, the legendary founder of the Armenians came to this valley and built the Haykaberd (the ancient fortress now referred to as Çavuştepe) and defeated Bel the Babylonian invader.

Despite the importance of this area, there seems to be little left of the Armenian presence. One exception is the Surp Marinos monastery, an unusual complex about which little is known. The date of its founding is unknown though there is record of the monastery from the 16th century. Alternatively, the monastery was also referred to as Srkhouvank and was home to some 300 nuns.

Making it difficult to learn more about the specifics of the complex is the fact that its construction is quite crude and almost completely lacking in ornamentation and inscriptions. The masonry is predominantly of uncut flat stones with mud used as mortar. Despite the rough masonry the church follows the design of other grander churches in the area with a cone-topped drum set atop a tall and narrow nave. Historic photographs show that the drum was once octagonal, though decay has made this difficult to tell. Apart from the church itself there were a number of other buildings enclosed by a high enclosing wall built in a similar manner to the rest of the complex apart from a small section of herringbone masonry.

The church is named for St Marinos/Marina, a woman who lived as a man so as to live as a monk in what is now Lebanon. She was accused of having raped a local village woman and, as she did not defend herself, she lived as a beggar and took care of the child. After some time, she was again accepted to live in a monastery as a monk but was required to do hard labour as punishment for her crime. It was only after she had died that it was discovered she was a woman and therefore innocent.

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Due to its long abandonment, poor quality masonry, and the damage of misguided looters, the monastery of Surp Marinos is in a state of considerable decay. In fact, photos from 1969 show that much of the damage has come about in the last few decades. With large cracks and bulges in walls, missing cap stones, undermined corners, and no government protection, it can only be assumed that the destruction will continue in the years to come.