Церковь Сурб Аствацацин, Татевский монастырь, Medieval religious complex in Syunik Province, Armenia

The Church of Surp Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God) is the smallest of the three churches in the Tatev Monastery complex. It was built in the 1080s on the fortress wall above an ancient monastic tomb, following the early medieval Armenian tradition of placing modest memorial churches over the graves of notable clergy, saints and martyrs. The church was damaged by an earthquake in 1931, destroyed by new tremors in 1968, and restored in the 1970s.

The site was founded between 895 and 906 by powerful noble families of the Syunik region. It grew into a center for learning and artistic production that maintained its importance for many centuries afterward.

The complex is named for a sacred virgin and served for centuries as a major center of learning in the region. Today the surviving structures remind visitors of the time when scholars here taught theology, mathematics, and astronomy.

The Wings of Tatev cable car, running from Halidzor to the monastery, crosses the Vorotan gorge and is the usual way to arrive. At the site, paths and stairs connect the churches and the Gavazan column; allow several hours to see the complex at an unhurried pace.

The smallest of Tatev Monastery's three churches, Surp Astvatsatsin, was built in the 1080s directly on the fortress wall above an old monastic tomb, following the Armenian custom of raising modest memorial chapels over the graves of holy figures. Earthquakes damaged it in 1931 and destroyed it in 1968; it was rebuilt in the 1970s.