Church Building Tavush

Makaravank is a 10th-13th century church complex near the Achajur village of Tavush Province, Armenia, located on the slope of Paitatap Mountain. Though the monastery is no longer used for services, the complex is well preserved. There are 4 churches, a gavit (narthex) that serves the two largest of the churches, and other buildings which served secondary roles. At one time, there used to be vast settlements around Makaravank, the presence of which was of great importance for the growth of the monastery.The oldest church of the group was built during the 10th and 11th centuries. The materials used in its construction were mostly large pieces of roughly hewn red tuff (a common Armenian building material). One of the churches, named Surb Astvatsatsin church, was built in 1198 in white stone, on the eastern side of the complex. Surb Astvatsatsin is attributed to Hovhannes. The main church was built in 1205, using pink andesite, with a red andesite gavit.
The monastery was surrounded with walls, its gate was decorated with columns. Numerous residential structures were situated in the enclosed territory. Among them were architectural pavilions housing mineral springs. Makaravank’s structures are built of dark-pink andesite and red tufa, with occasional greenish stones. There are also remnants of a fence, and a spring/well of the 12th or 13th century outside of the walls where a picnic area is now located.

Tsrviz Chapel or Moro-Dzoro is a medieval Armenian chapel located near the village of Lusahovit in the Tavush Province of Armenia.The chapel dates back to the 5th century. It was reconstructed during the 12th and 13th centuries. An inscription on its walls records that king George III of Georgia (r. 1156–84) freed the monastery from taxes and endowed it with land. The dome of the Astvatsatsin church was rebuilt in 1213 by Ivane Mkhargrdzeli, atabeg of the Kingdom of Georgia. Nearby is the medieval settlement of Tsrviz, with khachkars.During the 1980s, the chapel went under renovation works.

Kaptavank is one of the most prominent monuments of medieval Armenia. It is situated 5 km to the south-west from Chinchin village in Tavush Province. It was built in the middle of the XII century. It was mentioned as St. Astvatsatsin in the records. Kaptavank was a monastery complex in the past, but only the church survived. The church is built of limestone of bluish tint. The monastery was once fenced and surrounded with an old settlement. An ancient cemetery lies on the east part of the church.
There are no bibliographic references to Kaptavank. It is not possible to determine the name of the monument from the lithograph. The inscriptions mention the words “church” in 7 places, “catholic” in one place, and “monastery” in one place, without giving any name. The name “Kaptavank” does not have any justified explanation. That name comes from the color of the stones of the monument (blue basalt). Currently, only the church has been preserved from the monastery complex. Next to the church there was a clock house and residential buildings of the congregation nearby, and there were graves around it.

Nor Varagavank is a 13th-century Armenian Apostolic Church monastic ensemble situated 3.5 km southwest of the village Varagavan in the Tavush Province of Armenia. The monastery is situated upon a high hill and is surrounded by forested mountains and picturesque ravines.The monastic complex was established by King David II Kyurikian of northern Armenia in 1193-1198 and expanded by his grandson Vasak II in 1224–1237. In early sources the monastic ensemble was called Anapat (hermitage). It was renamed Nor Varagavank (meaning “New Varagavank”) when Vaspurakan’s famed Varagavank monastery in Western Armenia near Lake Van was threatened by the Mongols. Varagavank’s Patriarch Ghukas brought to Anapat holy relics from Vaspurakan in 1213, such as a piece of the True Cross brought to Armenia by the holy virgins Hripsime and Gayane. The most important structure of the complex is the church of the Holy Virgin. According to the inscriptions on its walls and information provided by the Armenian 13th-century historian Kirakos Gandzaketsi, it was built in 1224–1237 by David’s grandson Vasak II Kyurikian, and was consecrated in 1240.The church of the Holy Virgin was designed by the architect Hovhan who came from the Armenian capital city of Ani.