Temple of Ptghni, Tsiranavor Surb Nshan Church in Aramus, Kaptavank Monastery, Church Complex of Surb Poghos-Petros

Temple of Ptghni

Tsiranavor Surb Nshan church in Aramus

Kaptavank Monastery

Church Complex of Surb Poghos-Petros

            The first stop of the tour is the Temple of Ptghni (Ptghnavank). This early medieval monument of the Armenian architecture was erected by Prince Manuel Amatuni at the end of the 6th - beginning of the 7th centuries. The northern wall, the eastern part of the southern wall and the eastern arch bearing the dome have been preserved. The temple was illuminated by a row of wide windows. There are rectangular sacristies with small apses on both sides of the semicircular apse.

            The Temple of Ptghni is notable for its rich decoration: cornices, window edges, portals are decorated with floral and geometric relief ornaments. Rider Manuel Amatuni spearing a lion is depicted on the left, on the arcade of the southern entrance, in its horizontal part and the scene of the struggle of Sahak Amatuni against a lion is depicted on the right. The relief image in the center of the arch of the southern portal is also noteworthy: the Mother of God with angels on both sides, as well as a lion sitting under a palm tree.

The next point of the tour is the ruins of the Tsiranavor Surb Nshan Church in Aramus village. The church was built in the 6th century and is a central-domed temple.

Then we will visit the Kaptavank Monastery, or Surb Minas Church, which is located on the top of a hill, on the left side of the mountain pass between Hatis and Gutanasar mountains. By its architectural composition, the Surb Minas Church corresponds to the type of a three-tiered burial church. The church was built in 1349 from local bluish hewn basalt. In all likelihood, the name "Kapuyt vank" or "Kaptavank" come just from here, which means "Blue Monastery" in Armenian. Unlike other similar monuments, the Kaptavank Church stands out for its more restrained and simple design: here decorative elements are kept to a minimum.

The church was partially damaged by 1679 earthquake, and was in a dilapidated state in the 1920s-80s. Restoration work was carried out here in 1981-83. Tukh Manuk sanctuary is located to the north of the Kaptavank Church, at a distance of 500 m. In the southern part of the church, one can see tombstones, and on the slope of the hill there are cross-stones and many other tombstones.

The last stop of the tour is the church complex of Surb Poghos-Petros. The complex consists of the churches of Surb Poghos, Surb Petros, a chapel and a cemetery. The Church of Surb Poghos was built in the 12th-13th centuries and is a construction with a square plan. The vault and gable roof collapsed. There is a construction inscription on the northern wall, according to which, the church and gavit were built by Aslan and his brother Virapshah. The church was repaired by believers, as a result of which the construction lost its original appearance.

            The Church of Surb Petros (the 13th century) is located on a steep hillside and is a single-nave hall with a vaulted gable roof. The church is built of black and orange tuff.

On the north side of the churches, in the rocks, there is a cave, where in the 1980s  archaeologist G. Ghazaryan discovered tools of the Stone Age.

Departure: 10:00

Arrival: 18:00

Departure place: Hakob Hakobyan str. 1