Sisavank Monastery

The Church of St. Gregory of the Syunik Monastery, later known as St. John, was founded by Princess Varazdukht of Syunik. In front of the church, the princes of Syunik built a royal residence and established their seat there. The church was reconstructed in the last quarter of the 7th century by Prince Kohazat and Bishop Hovsep I, with the help of Theodore, a monk from the Zion Monastery. The historian Stepanos Orbelian considered the Syunik Monastery to be one of the three most important monasteries of the Syunik region. St. Gregory Church is built of finely hewn bluish basalt and belongs to the “Hripsime-style” group of structures. It features a quatrefoil layout with three-quarter niches and apses in all four corners. The dome rises on a twelve-sided drum adorned with arches and intricately carved cornices, supported below by capitals decorated with twisted motifs. Inside the church, various mason’s marks are found—mostly initials of builders. It is constructed on a three-tiered stone foundation. On the western façade, a bas-relief of Hovhannes the Ecclesiastical Writer has survived, although it is significantly damaged. The decorative elements inside and out correspond to the stylistic traits of the second half of the 7th century. Of particular importance is the sculpted cornice of the drum, which features reliefs of the four Evangelists with inscriptions.