Ghuki Vank, Medieval monastery in Arzakan, Armenia
Ghuki Vank is a ruined Armenian Apostolic church in a forested gorge 3–4 km northwest of Arzakan, Kotayk Province. Four walls about 3.5 m high survive, with the structure buried in earth and fallen stone on three sides. Its single entrance, on the west, has an arched top resting on two-faced pilasters; paired wall piers with lightly decorated rectangular capitals divide the interior, and the semicircular apse has two niches used as shrines.
The site lay in the Nig district; in the 10th century the Pahlavuni family held this area, and by the late 12th century it fell within the Zakarian principality. In 1201 the Zakarians granted Bjni and Kecharis to Prince Vasak Khaghbakian, whose family made the district its hereditary property. Ghuki Vank belonged to the diocese of Bjni, and Prosh Khaghbakian's donation inscription is carved on the church wall.
The name Ghuki comes from a local toponym; in the Ararat and Shirak dialects ghuk means a sheepfold or pen. The monastery once held a large monastic brotherhood and received villages, orchards, a bell, manuscripts and relics, as its donor inscriptions record. Over thirty inscriptions cover the walls, most of them dated, and name figures such as Prosh Khaghbakian and Grigor Vardapet of Bjni.
The site is located in a mountainous area with limited public transportation access, so visitors typically need to arrange their own transport. Sturdy footwear and warm clothing are advisable due to the elevated terrain and variable weather conditions year-round.
Around thirty inscriptions cover the church: on all interior walls, the sides of the wall piers, above the vestry doors, and the whole exterior of the east wall. Most are dated and record gifts — a village, land, orchards, a bell, manuscripts, liturgical vessels and relics — naming figures such as Prosh Khaghbakyan and Prince Pichar.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,697 contributors worldwide.