Խոտակերաց վանք, Monastery in Khachik, Armenia.

Khotakerotz Monastery is a stone religious building located near the village of Khachik in Vayots Dzor Province. The structure features traditional Armenian stonework with carefully crafted architectural details throughout.

Stepanos Orbelian recorded the foundation from the monastery's inscriptions and living accounts: Prince Ashot of Syunik built it near Arastamugh for hermits who lived in the surrounding gorges, and an earthquake destroyed his church. In 910 his widow Shushanik built five churches on the ruins and had a 13-line inscription carved, largely surviving. Prince Smbat Orbelian repaired the monastery in the mid-13th century, and in 1300 the Proshian family commissioned a silver reliquary for the Khotakerats cross.

The name Khotakerats comes from the ascetics (khotaker) whom Prince Ashot of Syunik gathered here from the caves and gorges around Arastamugh village. The monastery is also called Karakop, from the rough-hewn (koph) stone used in all its buildings. A 13-line inscription of 910, carved at the order of Ashot's widow Shushanik, largely survives on the site.

The monastery sits in a mountainous area near a border region that is best reached by local transport from Khachik village. Visitors should prepare for rural conditions and limited services in the surrounding area.

The monastery's second name, Karakop, comes from the Armenian word for hewn stone, since all its buildings were raised in dressed stone. A 13-line inscription commissioned by Ashot's widow Shushanik around 910, recording her construction of five churches on the ruins, has largely survived on the site.