A 13th century architectural marvel, Saghmosavank Monastery.Photo credit: Suren ManvelyanThe monaste

A 13th century architectural marvel, Saghmosavank Monastery.

Photo credit: Suren Manvelyan

The monastery of Saghmosavank is located in the village of Saghmosavan, located in the Ashtarak region of the Republic of Armenia. It is some 40 minutes northwest of Yerevan and lies atop precipitous gorge carved by the Kazakh River. It’s silhouette dominates the adjacent villages and rise sharp against the background of the mountains crowned by Mount Aragats.

Prince Vache Vachutyan

The monastery of Saghmosavank (Monastery of Psalms) was built in the 12th – 13th centuries by the order of Prince Vache Vachutyan. Thus the Surb Sion Church also known as the Church of Zion in Saghmosavank was erected in 1213 AD.

Type of building

The monastery can be classified as a cross-winged domed structure with two-floor annexes in all the corners of the building. It also holds a book repository and the St. Astvatsatsin church that were built in 1255 by the order of Prince Kurd Vachutyan.

Sources:

Architectural Ensembles of Armenia" O. Khalpakhchian, published in Moscow by Iskusstvo Publishers in 1980.

Land and Culture Organization. Saghmosavan.

Parsegian, V.L.. Armenian Architecture. Zug, Switzerland; IDC, 1980.