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Fortress :: Kosh  
 
Kosh fortress and churches

 
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The village of Kosh is located in the Ashtarak district, about 18km south-west of the district centre. There are numreous remainings from early iron age residential ruins and buildings of large basalt stone blocs. There are information refering to Kosh in Armenian scripts from the 4th century. The Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi mentions that the Armenian king Tiran (339-350), after being blinded and released from Persian captivity, settled down in Kosh, which together with his other properties he later gave to his grandson, Gnel. Tiran was killed after being accused for staging act of treason agaist King Arshak II and was burried in Kosh. According to the historian Vartan, the Armenian Catholicoses Housik and Daniel are also burried in Kosh.

Church of St. Stepanos from 7th century is located in north-east of Kosh and is built with yellow-red and pink coloured tuff stones with holy inscriptions. It is a rather smal cross-shaped domed building. The three of the absids are right-angled, while the rest are internally semi-circular, with quite deep shelf, with right-angled storage rooms on each side (the northern is covered with round shelf while the sothern one is covered with a cross-shaped one). The passage under the dome (not preserved) is uphold by a arch. The church has rich decorative ornaments. The interior is decorated with wall-paintings. The image of glorification of Christ is seen on the pendative. East of the church are the main walls of the residnetial buildings, built with red tuff stones with holy inscriptions, in the western direction. There is a cemetary, rich with 13th century khatchkars in the north-west, with a water reservoar building from the middle ages. The roof-covered building (4.8x13.5m, 2.8m high, 1.45m thick walls) is built with rough-carved basalt stones and clay (plastered internally).

The churches of St Grigor (13th-14th centuries) and St Gevork (19th century) are preserved within Kosh, and a oil refinery (18th century). The fortress of Kosh (13th century) is located in the northern part, on the top of the hill with right-angled corners and circular towers, built with clear cut large tuff stone blocks, with the lower part consisting of rough-cut basalt blocks. The entrences are situated in the north (presently in ruin) and south with ceiling-covered corridors. South of Kosh, on the side of the road, stands a large khatchkar-monument of red tuff from 1195 (6.8m tall). According to the inscription, it is dedicated to the liberation of Aragatzotn from Seljuk Turks.

Source: Encyclopedia of Armenia
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