Dzidzernavank

The name means “monastery of the swallows”. The complex, still enclosed within its defensive wall, stands on a modest height overlooking a wild valley in the Karabagh region, now part of the Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan. The plan is very similar to that of the three-aisled basilicas of Yeghvard, Ashtarak and Aparan, but with even more marked orientalising features. The apse is horseshoe-shaped and set within the thickness of the wall, and the small windows have the same shape; the entrances on the south side and the internal proportions of the nave and aisles reveal a remarkable vertical thrust, accentuated by the reduced size of the side aisles and by the pointed barrel vault of the central nave. A quite unusual feature is the tripartite loggia set above the apse, currently inaccessible; something similar is found only in the Visigothic sphere, although a stylistic contact does not seem likely. The basilica is said to have been built over an earlier pagan building, of which the base remains, clearly marked by the difference in material. The north wall and all the piers inside have been faced with buttressing masonry, perhaps following subsidence. Of great interest are the reliefs with geometric motifs on the piers, as well as some curious small niches whose function is unknown.