Kozluca (Armenian: Ղոզլուջա) is a village in the Kars District of Kars Province, Turkey.[1] Its population is 102 (2023).[2]
Kozluca | |
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  Kozluca Location in Turkey | |
| Coordinates: 40°30′46″N 43°29′09″E / 40.51278°N 43.48583°E | |
| Country | Turkey |
| Province | Kars |
| District | Kars |
| Elevation | 1,788 m (5,866 ft) |
| Population (2023) | 102 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (TRT) |
| Postal code | 36000 |
| Area code | 0474 |
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
editAccording 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]
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Küçük Kozluca Church -
Petroglyph with Zoroastrian symbols
_-_Bagnayr_Monastery.jpg)
_-_petroglyph.jpg)
References
edit- ^ "Türkiye Mülki İdare Bölümleri Envanteri". T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı (in Turkish). Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2023, Favorite Reports" (XLS) (in Turkish). TÜİK. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ a b "The Monastery of Bagnayr". Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ "The situation of Christian architectural heritage in Turkey". Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ Jean Michel Thierry, A Propos de quelques monuments chrétiens du Vilayet de Kars, Revue des Études Arméniennes XVII (1983), pp. 329-394.