The Holy Mother of God Church of Bjni

The Holy Mother of God Church of Bjni is located in Bjni village, Kotayk Province. It was founded in 1031 by Grigor Magistros Pahlavuni, under the order of King Hovhannes-Smbat and Catholicos Petros I Getadardz. The monastery was intended to become an episcopal seat. The main church, the Holy Mother of God, is a domed hall with a polygonal drum and a fan-shaped roof. The monastery is also known as the School of the Magistros, as it was one of the important centers of Armenian manuscript writing in the Middle Ages. It especially flourished in the 12th century, during the time of Grigor III Pahlavuni, son of Grigor Magistros and Catholicos of All Armenians. During Tamerlane’s invasion (14th century), the monastery was damaged, but in the 15th century, it was restored and again became a significant spiritual and scholarly center. Numerous manuscripts were created during this time, including a Gospel copied by Bishop Grigor. In the 19th century, school buildings were constructed on the southern side of the monastery, cells on the northern side, and in 1895, by the order of Catholicos Mkrtich I Vanetsi (Khrimian Hayrik), a school was built on the western side.