Neghuts Monastery, Medieval monastery in Arzakan, Armenia.
Neghuts Monastery consists of the Church of Surb Astvatsatsin and a large adjoining gavit. Three walls of the church stand, while its southern wall and most of the drum and dome have collapsed; the gavit keeps all its original walls, ceiling and parts of its dome. Four very large columns support the vaulting, whose six intersecting arches form a central oculus.
Neghuts Monastery was founded in the 10th or 11th century on a hillside clearing above the village of Arzakan. The Church of Surb Astvatsatsin and its large adjoining gavit were built then; the gavit's walls, ceiling and part of its dome still stand. Inscriptions on the walls, columns, capitals and arches date from the 13th century.
The gavit's south wall carries an ornate main entry, and 13th-century inscriptions cover its walls, columns, capitals and arches. Large low-relief khachkar carvings are cut into the walls, while the adjoining Church of Surb Astvatsatsin is comparatively plain, with narrow windows at the north wall and altar.
The monastery sits on a hilltop northwest of Arzakan village and is reached by following a marked path from the main road. The walk is manageable on foot, and the elevated location offers views across the surrounding landscape.
The gavit's dome is closed by six intersecting arches that leave an oculus at the centre, letting light fall into the hall. Its south entrance is the richly carved one, while a second doorway opens in the opposite north wall. The gavit is built against the hillside at its northwestern wall.
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