Kozluca, Kars

Kozluca
Village
Kozluca is located in Turkey
Kozluca
Kozluca
Location in Turkey
Coordinates: 40°30′46″N 43°29′09″E / 40.51278°N 43.48583°E / 40.51278; 43.48583
CountryTurkey
ProvinceKars
DistrictKars
Elevation
1,788 m (5,866 ft)
Population
 (2023)
102
Time zoneUTC+3 (TRT)
Postal code
36000
Area code0474

Kozluca (Armenian: Ղոզլուջա) is a village in the Kars District of Kars Province, Turkey.[1] Its population is 102 (2023).[2]

The village houses the remains of the Armenian Bagnayr Monastery, built in the 10th century CE. The name "Bagnayr" means "cave of fire altars", suggesting the much earlier presence of a Zoroastrian sanctuary on the site.[3]

Bagnayr monastery

According to Armenian sources Vahram Pahlavouni founded the monastery in the year 989. It was probably abandoned at the end of the 13th century.[3] Currently, only one of the original buildings of the complex, the Küçük Kozluca Church, remains partially preserved. This six-foil domed church has lost all of the coverings, and almost all of the exterior stone blocks have been scavenged, but the structure remains intact.[4]

Two walls and an arch vaulted door remain, but the annular vault of the door is ruined. At the internal section of the remaining walls, 5 arches and 5 dummy columns are interconnected and epitaphs are placed in between the columns. The middle dome and north wall of the church are collapsed and only 2 columns have remained. The top of the remaining south walls is decorated with geometrical designs in carving technique.[5]

  • Küçük Kozluca Church
    Küçük Kozluca Church
  • Petroglyph with Zoroastrian symbols
    Petroglyph with Zoroastrian symbols

References

  1. ^ "Türkiye Mülki İdare Bölümleri Envanteri". T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı (in Turkish). Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2023, Favorite Reports" (XLS) (in Turkish). TÜİK. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b "The Monastery of Bagnayr". Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  4. ^ "The situation of Christian architectural heritage in Turkey". Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  5. ^ Jean Michel Thierry, A Propos de quelques monuments chrétiens du Vilayet de Kars, Revue des Études Arméniennes XVII (1983), pp. 329-394.