Makenyats Monastic Complex

Region

Gegharkunik

Distance from Yerevan

159.6 km

Type

Monastery/Church

The Makenyats Monastic Complex, located in Gegharkunik Province, is one of the monuments built thanks to the Syunik architectural school. Manuscript sources about the monastery date back to the 7th century. At one time, it was among the most renowned monasteries, especially known as a spiritual, educational, and cultural center. At the end of the 9th century, Grigor Supan, Prince of Syunik, rebuilt the ruined Makenyats Monastery and laid the foundations for the Church of the Holy Mother of God. He left a large inscription on the eastern wall of the church, though only fragments survive today. The monastic complex consists of 37 sub-monuments, the main ones being the Holy Mother of God Church, the narthex, two barrel-vaulted churches, one single-nave church, the cemetery, and the surrounding wall. The Holy Mother of God Church has a domed structure, rectangular on the outside, cruciform inside, with a triple-apse plan and twin side-chambers.