MAKARAVANK MONASTERY

This beautiful monastery, located on a path between the villages of Azatamut and Acharkut, rises on a plateau with a few rocky peaks and covered with meadows dominated by the wooded slopes of Mount Païtasar. Inscriptions on the walls indicate that the monastic complex, which has been completely restored, was built under the direction of Superior Yovhannes I in the 12th and 13th centuries: it includes the Church of the Holy Mother of God (1198), the main church (1205), and the Jamatoun, built in 1224 under the direction of Superior David, thanks to a donation from Prince Vatché Vatchoutian. The main church is surmounted by a drum traversed by a fine colonnade hemmed with friezes. The portal has a very original tympanum, decorated with marquetry alternating pink and green stones. The facades have a rich sculpted decoration, alternating geometric motifs and animal figures.

The interior space is rich in bas-reliefs, the altar resting on a podium carved with rows of stars, and curious scenes mixing animal figures, notably marine, and human figures. Behind the monastery, the church of Sainte-Mère-de-Dieu has a very original design: it is a small octagonal building, topped by a drum with a conical roof, evoking an Italian baptistery, with facades decorated with plant motifs; the windows are enhanced with small columns, medallions and sculptures representing a stork killing a monstrous snake, an eagle attacking a dove or lions...