Ishkhani

Ishkani or Ishkhan, is a ruined Christian monastery in the territory of Turkey in the village of Arpacık, Artvin province. The name Ishkhani derives from the word “Իշխան” which means “prince” in the Armenian language. It was one of the important spiritual centers in the Middle Ages Tayk/Tao-Klarjeti. Only the magnificent church and the adjacent chapel have survived. The earliest mention of the monastery is found in The Life of Grigol Khandzteli, a Georgian manuscript dating from the year 951, which is now kept in Jerusalem.

In this manuscript it is stated that Saba, the nephew and follower of the priest Gregory of Khandzta, founded a monastery on the site of an earlier church. The first church built by catholicos Nerses III, who was native from the village of Ishkhan, and is also known as Nerses III Ishkhanetsi, had a tetraconch plan and was presumably damaged during the Arab invasions of the 7th century.