The Church of St. John of Mastara

The Church of St. John of Mastara is one of the unique examples of Armenia’s early medieval architecture, located in the center of the village. There are three preserved inscriptions on the church, one of which states that the church was built by the monk Grigoras in the 7th century. However, some experts believe that the inscription refers to the church’s renovation in the 7th century, since, based on its architectural and constructional features, the church is attributed to an earlier period — the 5th century. St. John’s Church is a centrally domed, four-apse structure. The prayer hall is square-shaped. The church was originally built using large blocks of reddish-purple stone, and in the 7th century was renovated using orange-yellow stones. It was also renovated during the 10th–13th centuries. The church’s decoration — the equal-armed crosses on the lintels, the line carvings of cherubs, the cross relief with a pair of birds, and the high-reliefs of doves on the arched crown — is characteristic of 5th-century early medieval Armenian architecture. The floor plan of Mastara Church served as a model for several other churches, including the Great Church of Artik, St. Astvatsatsin of Voskepar, St. Grigor of Harichavank, and St. Arakelots of Kars.