Hakhpat

Also in the Lorì region, beside the nearby village of Hakhpat, this monastic complex, begun shortly after Sanahin, became together with the latter one of the most vital centres of Armenia in cultural and religious terms. Defended downhill by a fortress (Castle of Caian), it was further protected by a polygonal fortified wall with corner towers, rebuilt several times. One of the main features of the complex (four churches, 2 gavits, the library, the bell tower and the refectory) is the tight, compact massing of the group of central buildings, masterfully anchored to the ground by a series of embankments on the uphill side. The oldest building is the church of St. Nshan (Holy Cross), erected by Queen Khosrovanush in 976 and completed in 991, as the inscription on the drum of the dome states. Of the domed-hall type (with a rectangular plan and inscribed cross), it is traditionally attributed to the architect Trdat (who later designed the cathedrals of Ani and Arguina and rebuilt the dome of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople after its collapse in the earthquake of 986). In front of the church of St. Nashan stands the great Gavit; begun in 1208 on the remains of an earlier gavit, it is exceptional for its size (21 x 18 m) and for its roofing system of double intersecting arches. Beside the gavit are two chapels: St. Gregory (1025) on the south-west side, with a cross plan inscribed in a rectangle and a barrel vault; and St. Asdvadzadzin on the north side, of the 13th century, also with an inscribed cross and a dome on a drum. Completely below ground level is the 11th-century library, with a roof of intersecting arches rebuilt in 1273. Inside it, the large khatchkar of the Saviour is notable (one of the few examples of figurative khatchkars). On the left is the gavit of Hamasasp (1245) with its adjoining chapel. Uphill, in an isolated position, stands the three-storey bell tower; from a cross plan on the ground floor it passes to an octagonal one on the 1st floor, with fine stalactite transitions. On the north-east side is the refectory (13th century), consisting of two square halls covered with intersecting arches. Finally, mention should be made of the tombs of the Ucananz to the left of the gavit of Hamasasp, surmounted by two splendid khatchkars. About five hundred metres uphill from the complex, in the centre of a cemetery, stands the hermitage dedicated to the Virgin. It has a cruciform plan with a dome on an octagonal drum decorated with small arches.