Dadivank

Gandzasar

Gandzasar Monastery, one of the most visited sights of Artsakh, stands proudly on a hill on the left bank of the river Khachen. The name Gandzasar means “treasure mountain” in Armenian. The monastery complex includes the church, living quarters, bishop’s residence, refectory and a school building. Over the centuries it embodies the Christian traditions and national wisdom for the people of Artsakh.

Amaras Monastery is located in the village of Sos in the Martuni region of the Republic of Artsakh. According to the historian Faustus of Byzantium, the first church of the monastery was founded by Gregory the Illuminator at the beginning of the 4th century. At the beginning of the 5th century, Mesrop Mashtots opened the first Armenian school in the Amaras monastery complex, which marked the beginning of the spread of Armenian literature. The monastery is one of the largest religious and cultural centers of the early Armenian architectural era in Artsakh.

One of the historical and cultural treasures of Artsakh, St. Hakobavank, is a monastery complex, which was founded in the 7th-13th centuries. The oldest pedestal of an Armenian khachkar (853) was found within the walls of the monastery. Hakobavank is named after Hakob Mtsbnetsi, a wonderworker who spread Christianity in Greater Armenia, and his right hand was kept in the monastery until the end of the 19th century. There are more than 40 rock inscriptions and khachkars on the territory of the monastery. In the 13th century, St. Hakobavank was the residence of the Catholicos.

Wonderful Shoshkavank, located on a mountain hill, was built in the 12th-13th centuries. According to the studies done on the site, the previous church was one of the main sanctuaries of the area, which present the after the renovation is one of the remarkable monuments of the Artsakh. Due to the high location of the monastery, it can be seen from a great distance.