Բագարան | |
 Saint Theodore Church of Bagaran, before 1923 | |
  Shown within Turkey | |
| Location | Partly on the site of the Turkish village of Kılıttaşı near the border withArmenia,Kars Province,Turkey |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°12′06″N43°39′17″E / 40.20167°N 43.65472°E /40.20167; 43.65472 |
| History | |
| Builder | KingOrontes IV of Armenia |
| Founded | 3rd century BC |
| Abandoned | 1394 |
Bagaran(Armenian:Բագարան) was a city inancient Armenia founded during the reign of theOrontid dynasty. It is one of thehistorical capitals of ancientArmenia.[1]
According to the Armenian historianMovses Khorenatsi, Bagaran was founded during the third century BC by KingOrontes IV of Armenia.[2] It quickly became the religious centre of Armenia, replacingArmavir as the main spiritual site of the Orontid pagan temples.[3] After the fall of theOrontid dynasty and the rise of theArtaxiad dynasty, kingArtaxias I moved all the pagan monuments from Bagaran to his newly built capital ofArtashat (Artaxata), founded in 176 BC.
During the second half of the sixth century, Bagaran, along with the entire canton of Arsharunik, became the property of theKamsarakan princes. The Church of Saint Theodore built between 624 and 631 was one of the main landmarks of Bagaran. Inscriptions on the church of Saint Theodore of Bagaran were located at the exterior of the entire building, starting at the northern face of the western apse and running across the northern, eastern and southern faces.[4]
TheBagratunis took over the city during the eighth century. In 895, after the establishment of theKingdom of Armenia, Bagaran became the capital of an independent Armenian kingdom underAshot I. His successor,Smbat I, moved the capital Bagaran toShirakavan in 890. Under Bagratid rule, Bagaran remained one of the prosperous centers of the Armenian kingdom. Many Bagratuni rulers, including Ashot I, are buried in Bagaran.[5]
However, in 1045, Bagaran, along with the Armenian capital ofAni, was invaded by theByzantines. In 1064, the city was attacked and heavily destroyed by theSeljuk Turks. During the twelfth century, theShah-Armens took over Bagaran. In 1211, Bagaran was briefly ruled by theZakarid princes of Armenia before being invaded by theMongols in 1236. In 1394, Bagaran was finally destroyed byTamerlane.[6]
At the beginning of the twentieth century, there was an Armenian-populated village near the site of ancient Bagaran with a population of slightly over 300. In 1920, as a result of theTurkish–Armenian War, the territories of theRepublic of Armenia located west of theAkhurian River were captured by Turkey. The small group of the Armenian survivors of Bagaran crossed the river to the eastern bank and founded the modern village ofBagaran within theArmenian SSR, just 8 km south of the site of the ancient city. Nowadays, a small Kurdish-populated village calledKilittaşı partially lies on the ruins of Bagaran, on theTurkish side of the closed border.
According to the Armenian historianJoseph Orbeli, the Church of Saint Theodore of Bagaran was one of the most prominent examples of early medieval Armenian architecture. It was largely intact until 1920. However, it was deliberately destroyed by the Turkish authorities.