The Mughni St. Gevorg Monastery

St. Gevorg, more commonly known as the Mughni Church, is located in the southern part of Mughni village, Aragatsotn Province. It is believed that the church was founded in the first half of the 13th century by the monastic order of Hovhannavank, who relocated the relics of St. Gevorg here. The St. Gevorg Church of Armenia was a renowned religious and cultural center. In 1278, manuscripts were copied here. The church was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times, and during the medieval period, it also housed a school, founded by Bishop Abel Mkhtaryan, who later documented the monastery’s history. St. Gevorg is built from black, red, and yellowish tuff in the style of a domed basilica. On the western side, attached to the church, there is a three-arched open hall, above which rises a 12-column rotunda belfry. The church is famous for its high-relief decorative carvings and wall paintings characteristic of 17th–18th century Armenian ecclesiastical art, which, according to some sources, may have been created by Naghash Hovnatan, a renowned figure of medieval Armenian art. In the monastery courtyard are several khachkars (cross-stones), the oldest of which is dated 932 AD. The Mughni St. Gevorg Monastery was historically considered a healing pilgrimage site, where people came to receive blessings and healing for various ailments.