ERZURUM - Georgian government is set to fund efforts to revive a historical monastery in Turkey's eastern village of Camliyamac in Erzurum province, a local official said Wednesday.
The Osvank Monastery was constructed between the years 963-973 and was dedicated to St. John the Baptist and donated by the Bagratid brothers, sons of the Georgian Curopalate Adernese, King David and Prince Bagrat.
The monastery included a church, a refectory, a scriptorium and it was one of the most important bishoprics in the region and a center of culture especially famous for its manuscripts.
The church measures 43.80x29.70 meters and it is by far the largest cruciform-shaped church in the region.
It preserved its importance until the end of the 15th century. In 1985 the Ministry of Culture designated it as a monument to be protected and preserved and included it on the national heritage list, and it remains as an important destination among Georgian tourists visiting Turkey.
(YMB-MS)
(GEN)