Church of St. Khach

Built in the 4th century, the Church of St. Khach is located in the center of the town of Aparan. This prominent monument of early Christian Armenian architecture not only serves as evidence that Armenian Christians lived in this region since ancient times, but is also a rare, still-standing and functioning spiritual temple. It allows us to see what Armenian churches looked like in the years following the adoption of Christianity as the state religion. The church complex is also known as the Kasagh Basilica. It is believed that in the 4th–5th centuries it served as the royal chapel of the Arshakuni palace. The complex originally included the main and oldest Church of St. Khach, a colonnaded hall built later, and a single-nave basilica church. The monument is built of large blocks of black and gray tuff stone. The decorative sculptural designs on the lintels of the western and southern façades are among the finest examples of early medieval Armenian sculpture. Between 1980 and 1990, the Church of St. Khach and its adjoining vestry were fully renovated, and since 1996 it has functioned as an active church.