Goms Monastery - Saint George Church

Goms monastery or the monastery of St. George is not located on any of the four islands of Lake Van. The easiest way to get there is by boat. This is because the monastery is located in a remote part of the shoreline of Lake Van, in the Gevash district, from where the monastery is accessible only by a steep trail.

The monastery is believed to be built by King Gagik of Vaspurakan, probably in AD 905. Goms is the nearest village to the monastery. Therefore, the monastery is sometimes called Gomkavank. Today this village exists under the Kurdish name of Kumus. Turkish maps show the town’s name as Canakduzu.

There is very little information about this place, but one of the sources suggests that the head of the saint, after whom this monastery was named, was kept here.

The Structure of Goms Monastery

The church of the monastery, which is also named St. George, can be entered through a door on the west side of the building. The church is surrounded by a stone wall, which was repaired in 1760, according to the inscription. None of the other buildings of the monastery has survived. Photographers from 1972 make it clear that this millennial church has suffered a lot over the past forty years.

Goms monastery was abandoned in 1830 because it was difficult to defend against Kurdish raids. The isolated location of the monastery had helped it to avoid the destruction for several decades after 1915. Now, the rising water levels of Lake Van threaten the foundation of the structure. The church is located on a short cliff, just a few steps from the water.

Photos by Sipan Grig, Hrachuhi Ayvazyan, Gevorg Haroyan and Tigran Varag