{"id":13406,"date":"2017-02-01T01:10:11","date_gmt":"2017-02-01T06:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=14073"},"modified":"2018-05-31T18:32:57","modified_gmt":"2018-05-31T23:32:57","slug":"sacred-place-sacred-space-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2017\/02\/01\/sacred-place-sacred-space-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Sacred Place, Sacred Space"},"content":{"rendered":"<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t<!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --><br \/>\t<\/style>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i><b>Garni Temple of Armenia<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-14074\" src=\"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Temple.jpg\" alt=\"Temple\" width=\"600\" height=\"421\" \/><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>(Photo Credit: www.traveltoarmenia.am)<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>The Garni Temple is an ancient Pagan Temple located southeast of the city of Yerevan, overlooking the Azat River.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>In the first century CE, Tridates, the Armenian King, dedicated this temple to Mihr, also known as Mithra, the Zoroastrian God. The inscription upon the temple reads, <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>&#8220;The Sun God (Helios), uncontested <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>King of Great Armenia built this temple<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>and impregnable fortress in the <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>11th year of his reign&#8221;<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>Helios is the Roman god of the Sun who is loosely connected to Mihr, and to whom, apparently Tridates associated himself with. <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>Strangely enough, the Armenian Travel Bureau&#8217;s website indicates that the temple was actually dedicated to the *Goddess* Mythra and that fire was worshipped as a separate entity, and a gift from the gods. While I\u00a0personally prefer the temple being dedicated to a Goddess, I can find no other reference to Mythra as a Goddess.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>The temple is Greco-Roman in construction and is richly decorated. The inner chamber could have fit several people, but it&#8217;s small size indicates that a statue once stood there. The fact that marble sculptures of bull hooves is close by suggests that the statue have been of Mihr, who is closely related to the bull. <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>The Garni temple was built at the site of an earlier Uratian temple. It was built using the Pythagorean theory of sacred geometry which they believed brought them in contact with the gods.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-14075\" src=\"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Temple2.jpg\" alt=\"Temple2\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>(Photo credit: www.atm.am)<\/i><\/span><\/span><i> <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>There were nine stairs to a high pedestal, and the main entrance, which represented heaven and the most sacred. The number nine is 3 X 3 or the Trinity. There were six columns in the front and six columns in the back which represented perfection, while eight columns on each side symbolized new life. <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>When Tridates III adopted Christianity as the state religion, most of the known Pagan temples were destroyed. His sister requested that the temple not be destroyed, but turned into a summer residence for the royal family, and so a bath complex and a two-story palace was added to the grounds, along with a church. There is also a theory that the Christians may have thought it was a tomb and not a temple, which would have saved it from destruction<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>The temple was partially destroyed in a 1679 earthquake and restoration began in 1966. <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>Today, it is a central shrine for Pagans and celebrations are held there for Spring Equinox and the festival of Vardavar, in which people douse strangers, and each other with water.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-14077\" src=\"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Temple3.jpg\" alt=\"Temple3\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>(Photo Credit: www.atm.am)<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>While this festival is now Christian in nature, and held three months after Easter, it is firmly rooted in Pagan beginnings as it was associated with Astghik, the Goddess of Water, <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-US\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>The Garni Temple is just one of many Pagan temples that can still be found around the world.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Garni Temple of Armenia (Photo Credit: www.traveltoarmenia.am) The Garni Temple is an ancient Pagan Temple located southeast of the city of Yerevan, overlooking the Azat River. In the first century CE, Tridates, the Armenian King, dedicated this temple to Mihr, also known as Mithra, the Zoroastrian God. The inscription upon the temple reads, &#8220;The Sun God (Helios), uncontested King of Great Armenia built this temple and impregnable fortress in the 11th year of his reign&#8221; Helios is the Roman god of the Sun who is loosely connected to Mihr, and to whom, apparently Tridates associated himself with. Strangely enough, the Armenian Travel Bureau&#8217;s website indicates that the temple was actually dedicated to the *Goddess* Mythra and that fire was worshipped as a separate entity, and a gift from the gods. While I\u00a0personally prefer the temple being dedicated to a Goddess, I can find no other reference to Mythra as a Goddess. The temple is Greco-Roman in construction and is richly decorated. The inner chamber could have fit several people, but it&#8217;s small size indicates that a statue once stood there. The fact that marble sculptures of bull hooves is close by suggests that the statue have been of Mihr, who is closely related to the bull. The Garni temple was built at the site of an earlier Uratian temple. It was built using the Pythagorean theory of sacred geometry which they believed brought them in contact with the gods. (Photo credit: www.atm.am) There were nine stairs to a high pedestal, and the main entrance, which represented heaven and the most sacred. The number nine is 3 X 3 or the Trinity. There were six columns in the front and six columns in the back which represented perfection, while eight columns on each side symbolized new life. When Tridates III adopted Christianity as the state religion, most of the known Pagan temples were destroyed. His sister requested that the temple not be destroyed, but turned into a summer residence for the royal family, and so a bath complex and a two-story palace was added to the grounds, along with a church. There is also a theory that the Christians may have thought it was a tomb and not a temple, which would have saved it from destruction The temple was partially destroyed in a 1679 earthquake and restoration began in 1966. Today, it is a central shrine for Pagans and celebrations are held there for Spring Equinox and the festival of Vardavar, in which people douse strangers, and each other with water. (Photo Credit: www.atm.am) While this festival is now Christian in nature, and held three months after Easter, it is firmly rooted in Pagan beginnings as it was associated with Astghik, the Goddess of Water, The Garni Temple is just one of many Pagan temples that can still be found around the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":212,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/212"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13406\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}