Gosh

Gosh

Gosh is a village in Armenia's Tavush province, in the municipality of Dilijan. The village is named after Mkhitar Gosh, who helped rebuild the Nor Ghetik monastery in the 12th and 13th centuries after it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1188. The rebuilt monastery was later named Goshavank in honor of Mkhitar. Goshavank is located directly on the main road through the village. The imposing monastery, which survives in relatively good condition, contains one of the finest examples of khachkar in the world. To the west of the monastery complex, on a hillside, is a chapel, which is also the tomb of Mkhitar Gosh. It is situated overlooking the monastery he helped to build. The chapel is square in plan, with a single central dome and a portal above it. Nearby are the ruins of what is said to have been Mkhitar's house. The stone foundations and low walls still exist. Mkhitar Gosh founded a school in Goshavank. One of his alumni, an Armenian scholar named Kirakos Gandzaketsi, wrote the History of Armenia. The architect Mkhitar the Carpenter and his disciple Hovhannes were also active in the construction of the monastery.