Haghpat, Sanahin, Odzun

Haghpat Monastery / The Haghpat monastery is situated in the north of Armenia, in the same named village (Lori district). Standing on a high plateau, amidst low structures, they rise sharp against the background of steep forest-grown slopes of Bazum ridge. The exact date of the foundation of Haghpat is unknown. Documentary evidence and monuments of material culture suggest that these structure date back to the middle of the 10th century. The formation of Tashir-Dzoraget kingdom of the Kyurikids in 979 and the great attention paid to Haghpat by various rulers of Armenia and their vassals favored the construction of many religious and civil structures there. In this monastery humanitarian sciences and medicine were studied, scientific treatises written and paintings, most miniatures created. The main monastery buildings are grouped around chief temple. Religious structures are of the cross-winged dome type and have side-chapels in four corners, or of the cupola hall type. The structure of the fist type is St.Grigory church (1005), which lost its dome during the reconstruction in 1211. The most important of the cupola-hall type buildings is St.Nshan church, founded by Khosrovanuish in 976 and completed in 991. The decoration, particularly ornamental carving, is very modest. A sculptural group of Smbat and Kyurike kings with a model of the temple in hands, which brings it closer to a three-dimensional sculpture fitted into a wall niche. The interior St.Nshan was decorated with frescoes which are almost totally lost by now. The altar apse was decorated with frescoes twice, the last time in the second half of the 13th century. Probably the whole of the interior was covered with frescoes.

Sanahin Monastery / The Sanahin monastery is situated in the north of Armenia, in the Lori district, within the limits of Alaverdi city. Standing on a high plateau, amidst low structures, they rise sharp against the background of steep forest-grown slopes of Bazum ridge. The exact date of the foundation of Sanahin is unknown. Documentary evidence and monuments of material culture suggest that these structure date back to the middle of the 10th century. The formation of Tashir-Dzoraget kingdom of the Kyurikids in 979 and the great attention paid to Sanahin by various rulers of Armenia and their vassals favored the construction of many religious and civil structures there. In this monastery humanitarian sciences and medicine were studied, scientific treatises written and paintings, most miniatures created. The main monastery buildings are grouped around chief temple. Most of the religious structures are of the cross-winged dome type and have side-chapels in four corners, or of the cupola hall type. The structures of the fist type are St.Hakob church (the 9th century), St.Astvatzatzin (Holy Virgin) church, built some time between 928 and 944 and St.Amenaprkich church, completed in 966. Standing out among these churches is St.Amenaprkich built by Khosrovanuish, the wife of Ashot III Bagratuni. This majestic structure has two-tier side-chapels. The severe and majestic eastern facade is crowned in its gable with a monumental sculptural group of Kings Kyurike and Smbat. Chronologically, this is the first high-relief representation of human figures with a model of a church, which gives it great importance in Armenian art. The interiors of St.Astvatzatzin and St.Amenaprkich churches were decorated with frescoes which are almost totally lost by now.

Odzun Monastery / ust south of the built up area of Alaverdi (Lori district), the main forks leads to Odzun, with its famous church about 100m west on the main paved village road. The church is dated stylistically to the end of the 6th c. Beside the church is an unusual 5th-6thcc. funerary monument with two sculpted pillars depicting biblical scenes and the Christianization of Armenia. Standing on a tiered base and constructed in polished stone in the form of two arcades, this monument has a delicate harmony of symmetry. In the opening of each arcade is a rectangular stele, four meters high. On its four faces are finely carved bas-reliefs of scenes depicting the propagation of Christianity. These sculptures are remarkable specimens of the older Armenian religious art. On the South-East edge of village is a ruined 5thc «Tziranavor-Tzaghkavank» basilica.