“Geghard Monastery” Souvenir Coin

Description

From the 13th century, the Monastery was renamed “Geghard” in honor of the sacred Geghard kept here, with which a Roman soldier pierced the side of the Christ. According to the legend, it was brought to Armenia by the apostle Thaddeus, one of the first preachers of Christianity.

According to another legend, a nobleman from a noble family decided to leave a worldly life and build a church in the gorge. After much deliberation in choosing a place, they asked God for help. Waking up in the morning, they saw their shovel stuck to the top of the mountain, and with hard work they gradually opened a temple in the mountain, where they sealed the mortal of their life.

Both legends are connected with the Central Asian Colonel Lenk Temur (1336-1405). Having heard of  famous miracles of Geghard monastery, he decided to try it personally. The Colonel ordered to bring the Holy Sign of Geghard to him. When his soldiers raised their spears to strike the Holy Sign, the army was immediately attacked by horsemen in colorful uniforms. Panic broke out  in Lenktemur’s army, some fled, others’ hands dried up, and many went blind. Having witnessed this the terrified Colonel apologized and retreated from the Holy Sign.

According to another legend, Lenktemur learned that a large diamond was kept in one of the cave churches of Ayrivank. When approaching the treasure, the commander blocked the way of light with his own shadow and the treasure “disappeared”. He tried to approach it  three times. Then Lenktemur decided not to destroy the Ayrivank monastery and left. In fact, the architects of that time, using the light effects entering the church from the porch, were able to give the light a round, diamond look. After the Garni earthquake of 1679, the treasure-diamond disappeared.