Saghmosavank

Saghmosavank was built in 1215 on the very lip of the Kasagh gorge, so close that the north wall stands at the edge of a hundred-and-fifty-metre drop. The complex has a church, a gavit, a library building and a chapel, all in grey and red stone, with carved detail around the doors and a good deal of medieval graffiti scratched into the walls. Aragats fills the horizon behind it on a clear day.

Background

The name means "monastery of the Psalms", and the complex stands in the village of Saghmosavan in Aragatsotn Province. Prince Vache Vachutyan raised its main church, the Church of Zion, in 1215, and he also built the Church of Karapet at Hovhannavank, five kilometers to the south, in 1216-1221. Both churches follow one plan: a cross-winged domed building with two-floor chambers set into every corner. Inside, the space under the dome dominates, and the outer shape of each church mirrors this. His son Kurt added the zhamatun beside the church in 1255. The two monasteries share the same steep gorge cut by the Kasagh river, with the mountains around Mount Aragats behind them.

Source: Wikipedia, "Saghmosavank"

What to look for

• The gorge edge - the monastery wall standing at the lip of a deep canyon.
• The 1215 church - the main building with carved portals and a conical dome.
• The library - a separate book depository, unusual to find surviving.
• The Aragats view - the mountain across the plain behind the complex.

When to go

April to November is the comfortable season. Morning light suits the stone and the gorge. Aragats is clearest in spring and autumn.

Good to know

The drop at the wall is unfenced in places and needs care with children. The complex is small and the visit takes half an hour. There are no facilities beyond a stall or two.

Nearby

Hovhannavank is a few kilometres down the same gorge, and Ashtarak is south.

Key facts