Kozluca, Kars

40°30′46″N 43°29′09″E / 40.51278°N 43.48583°E / 40.51278; 43.48583CountryTurkeyProvinceKarsDistrictKarsElevation1,788 m (5,866 ft)Population102Time zoneUTC+3 (TRT)Postal codeArea code0474

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]

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  Küçük Kozluca Church
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  Petroglyph with Zoroastrian symbols