Hovhannavank

Monastery of St. John. The complex is about six km from Ashtarak, on the edge of the deep gorge through which the river Kassakh flows. The monastery developed in the 13th century on the remains of an early church probably dating from the 5th century, which now stands beside the larger one built in 1217. The latter is of the domed-hall type with four very elongated corner rooms (those to the west on two storeys, with stairs visible on the walls). Of particular interest are the polychromy of the tuffs used for the interior facing of the church and the elegant relief cross motif on the east façade. The dome of the church collapsed in 1918, together with much of the south side. The gavit, on the other hand, survives intact; it is square in plan, with a small dome on twelve columns; notable are the ceilings with geometric and figurative designs, as well as the bas-relief in the lunette above the entrance door to the church. On the inner and outer walls of the gavit and of the main church there are numerous inscriptions and khatchkars.