Ardvi monastery, Religious complex in Lori Province, Armenia
Ardvi monastery, also called Srbanes, is a ruined monastic complex on a hill about six kilometres northwest of Ardvi village in Lori Province. It comprises the remains of two adjoining single-nave churches, a 17th-century bell tower with a six-column rotunda, a square obelisk, and ruined cells and farm buildings within a low wall. The churches are built of small irregular andesite blocks, except the lowest three rows of the east wall, which are large dressed stones.
Hovhan Odznetsi, 34th Catholicos of the Armenian Church from 717 to 728, founded the monastery in 726; it is now a ruin. He was buried here, and his tombstone stands in the courtyard while the grave lies in the church. Stepanos Tarinyan restored the complex in the 19th century and Melikset Kalantaryan funded further repairs in 1902.
The monastery is also called Srbanes or Hovhan Odznetsi after the 34th Catholicos Hovhannes Odznetsi, buried here; his large tombstone lies before the altar of the northern church. West of the complex, a medieval cemetery holds carved khachkars. Local legend links the nearby Odzi Port spring to Odznetsi turning dragons to stone.
The monastery is a ruin, not an active church, so there are no services. It stands on a hill about six kilometres northwest of Ardvi and is reached on foot. The complex is enclosed by a low wall; the two churches, the 17th-century bell tower, the obelisk and the cemetery with khachkars lie within it.
Near the monastery lies the Odzi Port spring, associated with a local legend in which a holy figure transformed a serpent into stone. This tale remains part of the place's oral tradition and adds a layer of folklore to the visit.
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