Akhtala Monastery

On a high promontory rises the Akhtala Monastery of the Holy Mother of God—one of the significant spiritual and cultural centers of its time. This area, originally called Agarak and later Pghndzahanq (Copper Mine), was known in the Middle Ages as a religious and educational center for the Chalcedonian Armenians under Georgian rule. However, the historical foundation of the monastery is rooted in the Armenian Apostolic faith, which laid the groundwork for the birth and further development of the monastic complex. The monastery is surrounded by pyramid-shaped walls built as early as the 10th century during the Kyurikian Bagratuni period. The northern entrance is a vaulted hall, attached on the east to a three-story pyramid-shaped tower. The main church of the complex, the Church of the Holy Mother of God, is located in the very center of the fortress. It has a domed structure, with double-story sacristies on either side of the altar. The dome has been destroyed over time, but its foundations, columns, and wall supports remain. The exterior façades are adorned with niches, cross-reliefs, and rich decorative stone carvings. In the monastery courtyard, a 13th-century single-nave church with a semicircular altar has been preserved, along with remnants of residential and economic buildings. Inside the monastery, the walls are entirely covered with exquisite frescoes. This artistic legacy is unique in both scope and content, depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments—images of the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, and numerous biblical events. Though dating to the 13th century, they have preserved their appearance and colors to this day. Only two base colors were used in the murals: vordan karmir (cochineal red) and lazurite (blue made from copper), with the rest of the tones created by blending these. The monastery was also a major center of manuscript writing. In the 13th century, Simeon Pghndzahantsi worked here, and both Armenian and Georgian literature was studied. According to Stepanos Orbelian, the ""God-received Holy Cross,"" donated by Ivane Zakarian to Noravank, was once kept here.