The Monastery of İşhan
The monastery of Işhan is situated in the village of Işhan, in the province of Artvin. Only the magnificent church and the adjacent chapel have survived. The earliest mention of the monastery is found in The Life of Grigol Khandza, 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 Grigol Khanzda, founded a monastery on the site of an earlier church.
The first church built by Nerses III (641-661) who found refuge in Işhan, had a tetraconch plan (a central dome with four apses radiating to the cardinal points) and was presumably damaged during the Arab invasions of the 7th century. Five Georgian inscriptions within the church and on the southern façade indicate different restoration periods, from 917 until 1032. From the 12th to the end of the 14th century, large vestibules were added to the south, west and north facades.
The Monastery of Dört Kilise (Oktha Ecclesia)
The monastery of Dört Kilise is about 15 kilometres from Yusufeli. To find it follow the Çoruh Valley upstream in the direction of Ispir until you come to the village of Tekkale. From there it is only 7 kilometres to the monastery which is hidden high in the valley of a small tributary of the Çoruh. The monastic buildings are surrounded by lush fields of clover and fruit trees grown wild. It would be hard to imagine a more idyllic or secluded spot. Dört Kilise was first mentioned in a manuscript dating back to 1031 in relation to the lives of St John and St Euthemios.
According to this manuscript, the church was completed before 965, but there appears to have been a second phase of construction and embellishment during the reign of David Magistros. When Magistros died in 1001, and the principality of Tao-Klarjeti passed peacefully into Byzantine hands. In this respect, it is significant that an inscription on the eastern façade refers to this indefatigable builder as Curopalates, a Byzantine court title that was bestowed on him in 978 by the Emperor Basil II. The main church is distinguished by its elegance and restraint, and apart from some damage to its exterior facing stones, is remarkably well-preserved.
The exterior is decorated with blind-arcading in two registers, the arches of the lower arcades springing from pilasters and those of the upper arcades being carried on paired colonnettes. It has a simple, basilical plan consisting of a broad nave flanked by two narrower aisles, all of them roofed by barrel vaults. The nave, as is customary, rises considerably above the aisles. The church is 28.46 metres long, 22.07 metres wide and 22.07 metres high, dimensions that produce a very harmonious effect.
Hamamli (Dolishane Church) Monastery
The church in the village of Hammam Dolishane 10 Century are known to have been built. In the southern part of the most popular part of the sundial.
The Monastery of Öşk (Öşkvank)
During the Middle Ages, the valleys watered by the Çoruh River and its tributaries formed part of the Georgian principality of Tao-Klarjeti. From the beginning of the 9th until the first quarter of the 11th century, independent feudal principalities similar to the city states of Italy were dominant in the region whose rulers supported the foundation of monasteries financially as well as by granting land. These monasteries soon became vibrant centres of culture, art and learning.
The monastery of Öşk is in the village of Çamlıyamaç in the province of Erzurum, which is within the boundaries of the medieval lower Tao. A church, a refectory, a scriptorium where the manuscripts used to be copied and kept and the remains of three chapels have come down to us. According to numerous inscriptions, the church 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 (reigned 961-1001) and Prince Bagrat († 966). During the time when the region was under the reign of the Byzantine Emperors, the dome of the church was repaired by the Emperors Basil II († 1025) and Constantine VIII († 1028).
In the 11th century, the Monastery of Öşk was one of the most important bishoprics in the region and a center of culture especially famous for its manuscripts. It preserved its importance until the end of the 15th century. At the end of the 19th century, the church was converted into a mosque and functioned as a place of worship until 1980. In 1985 the Ministry of Culture designated it as a monument to be protected and preserved and included it on the national heritage list.