Oshakan

Mesrop Mashtots, who created the Armenian alphabet in the early fifth century, was buried at Oshakan, and the church of Surb Mesrop Mashtots stands over the tomb, rebuilt in the 1870s with a crypt beneath the altar where the grave is. Children are traditionally brought here at the start of school. Outside, the alphabet is set out in carved stone letters along the wall, and there are khachkars and a garden around the building.

History

Under the Arsacid kings of Armenia the village was the main town of the Ayrarat province and the capital of its Aragatsotn canton, ruled by the Amatuni family, and it is best known as the burial place of Mesrop Mashtots, inventor of the Armenian alphabet, whose church was rebuilt by Catholicos George IV in 1875 and painted inside by H. Minasian in 1960. Excavations on Didikond Hill to the south found a fort and five palaces of the 7th-5th centuries BC, the 7th-century church of Saint Sion to the north is believed to mark the grave of the Byzantine emperor Maurice or of his mother, and a bridge of 1706 crosses the Kasagh west of the village (Wikipedia, Oshakan).

What to look for

• The tomb crypt - Mashtots's grave beneath the altar, reached by steps.
• The 1870s church - the building raised over the burial site.
• The carved alphabet - the letters set in stone along the churchyard wall.
• The khachkars - cross-stones in the grounds around the church.

When to go

April to November is comfortable. Early September brings school groups in numbers. The church is generally open through the day.

What to expect

The visit is short, half an hour at most. It matters more to Armenians than to outside visitors, and without that context it is a modest village church. Parking is tight on busy days.

Nearby

Ashtarak is three kilometres away, and Aruchavank is west along the Gyumri road.

Key facts