Kozluca | |
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Coordinates: 40°30′46″N 43°29′09″E / 40.51278°N 43.48583°E | |
Country | Turkey |
Province | Kars |
District | Kars |
Elevation | 1,788 m (5,866 ft) |
Population (2023) | 102 |
Time zone | UTC+3 (TRT) |
Postal code | 36000 |
Area code | 0474 |
Kozluca (Armenian: Ղոզլուջա) is a village in the Kars District of Kars Province, Turkey.[1] Its population is 102 (2023).[2]
The village houses the remains of the Armenian Bagnayr Monastery, built in the 10th century CE. The name "Bagnayr" means "cave of fire altars", suggesting the much earlier presence of a Zoroastrian sanctuary on the site.[3]
According to Armenian sources Vahram Pahlavouni founded the monastery in the year 989. It was probably abandoned at the end of the 13th century.[3] Currently, only one of the original buildings of the complex, the Küçük Kozluca Church, remains partially preserved. This six-foil domed church has lost all of the coverings, and almost all of the exterior stone blocks have been scavenged, but the structure remains intact.[4]
Two walls and an arch vaulted door remain, but the annular vault of the door is ruined. At the internal section of the remaining walls, 5 arches and 5 dummy columns are interconnected and epitaphs are placed in between the columns. The middle dome and north wall of the church are collapsed and only 2 columns have remained. The top of the remaining south walls is decorated with geometrical designs in carving technique.[5]