Areni - S. Astvacacin

The small church, of the type with a cross inscribed in a rectangle, stands on a plateau overlooking the valley of the Arpa river, from which the site also takes its name. Built by the architect Momik in 1321, its basic volume is a simple parallelepiped, with two entrances, to the south and to the west. Both doors are framed by rectangular mouldings and surmounted by lunettes depicting the Madonna and Child. The interior is characterised by two free-standing piers of composite profile in the western part; an arrangement very rare in Armenia, which makes almost all the available space in the lower zone unified and interconnected, excluding only the two small apsed rooms for liturgical use adjoining the apse. The church stands within an ancient cemetery rich in tumulus tombs and xač'k'ar.