The Sanahin monastery, located in the eponymous village near the canyon of the river Debed is one of the main iconic attractions of this region. On the other side, you’ll Debed Alaverdi. The monastery covers an area of about 2 hectares. it is believed that it stands on the site where in the IV century by Gregory the Illuminator was built a stone cross.
The exact date of the founding of the monastery is still unknown. However, there is some information that is already in X-XI centuries the number of monks in the monastery reached several hundred people. Presumably, it was the Armenian clergy who were expelled from the Byzantine Emperor Roman Lakapin.
The Sanahin monastery, located in the eponymous village near the canyon of the river Debed is one of the main iconic attractions of this region. On the other side, you’ll Debed Alaverdi. The monastery covers an area of about 2 hectares. it is believed that it stands on the site where in the IV century by Gregory the Illuminator was built a stone cross.
The exact date of the founding of the monastery is still unknown. However, there is some information that is already in X-XI centuries the number of monks in the monastery reached several hundred people. Presumably, it was the Armenian clergy who were expelled from the Byzantine Emperor Roman Lakapin.
The first building of the temple of Surb Astvatsatsin this place was built by order of the Armenian king Abbas Bagratuni around the first half of X century Cross-in-square Church with four chapels built of basalt politichnogo. Preserved fragments of plaster with some elements of the painting suggest that the Church interior was decorated with murals. In the entire history of the Church it has been repeatedly repaired and partially rebuilt. So, in 1652, was installed in the dome.
The largest monument is the Church of Sanahin Amenaprkich, who served in the Xth century Cathedral of Lori Kingdom. From the temple of Surb Astvatsatsin Church of Amenaprkich differs only walls made of smooth-hewn pieces of basalt. The main attraction of this Church is a group of sculptures presented in the form of kings Kyurike and Smbat, holding a model of the Church. In 1061 the city a little East of the Shrine of the virgin built a small chapel of St. Gregory.
Original works of civil architecture in Armenia are the Academy and Sanahin»s book Depository, built in the XI century, Another monumental building — the bell tower is square at the base of the three-storied tower with the hexagonal rotunda, where hung the bell. Beside the main complex is the tomb of the family of Zahidov.
