Pemzashen

40°35′36″N 43°56′24″E / 40.59333°N 43.94000°E / 40.59333; 43.94000

Place in Shirak, Armenia

Pemzashen Պեմզաշեն
Pemzashen Church, 7th century
Coat of arms
Pemzashen Show map of Armenia Pemzashen Show map of Shirak
Coordinates: 40°35′36″N 43°56′24″E / 40.59333°N 43.94000°E / 40.59333; 43.94000
Country	Armenia
Province	Shirak
Municipality	Artik
Government
• Mayor	Ananik Voskanyan
Population (2008)
• Total	2,646

Pemzashen (Armenian: Պեմզաշեն) is a village in the Artik Municipality of the Shirak Province of Armenia. During the Soviet era a sewing factory, construction materials plant, and a parts factory to supply hydro-electric stations were based out of Pemzashen. After the collapse of the USSR, most of the village's residents have found themselves out of work and many of the men have moved to Russia to find jobs. In the past 15 years, over 300 families have moved away from the village. There is also the problem of a lack of irrigation water for crops or household gardens, and the land around the village is not flat or fertile (due to no irrigation). Plans are currently underway to put in an irrigation system.

In the middle of village is a 7th-century church adjacent to the foundations of a 5th-century basilica. Just west of the village off of the main road leading from Pemzashen to Artik is Arakelots Vank of the 11th century. Along the road south to Lernakert, is also Makaravank built in the 10th to 13th centuries, with the church of Surb Sion of 1001. In the gorge below is a small church built on earlier foundations constructed in the 18th century with a hermit's cell cut into the cliff face behind.

Demographics

Historical population

Year

Pop.

±% p.a.

1831

191

—

1897

1,496

+3.17%

1926

1,331

−0.40%

1939

1,757

+2.16%

1959

3,599

+3.65%

1989

3,384

−0.21%

2001

2,862

−1.39%

2004

2,701

−1.91%

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

Source: ^[1]

Gallery

Arakelots Vank northwest corner, 11th century
Makaravank Church, 10th-13th century
18th-century chapel in gorge below Makaravank

References

^ Հայաստանի Հանրապետության բնակավայրերի բառարան [Republic of Armenia settlements dictionary] (PDF) (in Armenian). Yerevan: Cadastre Committee of the Republic of Armenia. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 March 2018.

Pemzashen at GEOnet Names Server
World Gazeteer: Armenia^{[dead link]} – World-Gazetteer.com
Report of the results of the 2001 Armenian Census, Statistical Committee of Armenia
Kiesling, Brady (2005), Rediscovering Armenia: Guide, Yerevan, Armenia: Matit Graphic Design Studio
Kiesling, Brady (June 2000). Rediscovering Armenia: An Archaeological/Touristic Gazetteer and Map Set for the Historical Monuments of Armenia (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 November 2021.