Mayravank, Monastery in Solak, Armenia

Mayravank is a ruined medieval Armenian monastery on a hillside clearing 3 km north of Solak, in Kotayk Province. Its only standing building is the Surb Astvatsatsin church, an 11th-century grey basalt structure almost square outside (8.4 m by 7.13 m) with 0.8 m thick walls, a cylindrical drum and a single west entrance 1.88 m by 1.12 m. Inside it is cross-shaped, with 1.5 m projections on the north and south walls and two-storey niches flanking the apse.

The monastery was established in the 7th century by Hovhan Mayravanetsi and later renamed Mayragom by Catholicos Ezr Parajnaketsi. The Surb Astvatsatsin Church was built in the 11th century, marking an important rebuilding phase.

The name means "mother monastery"; Catholicos Ezr Parajnaketsi mockingly called it "Mayragom" and its defender Hovhan "Mayragometsi" after Hovhan was driven there for opposing Monothelitism, which Ezr had accepted at the 633 Council of Karin. The church was reconsecrated on 22 July 2023 after a four-year restoration led by architect Artak Ghulyan.

Mayravank lies 3 km north of Solak, on a hillside clearing; the medieval cemetery sits 100 m southeast of the church, at the start of the path to the village. The site is open ground, so check the weather and wear shoes for uneven stone. The church was reconsecrated on 22 July 2023 after a restoration of about four years.

An inscription from 1224 remains carved into the western wall, showing the monastery was still active well into the medieval period. The eastern facade displays intricate triangular shapes and paired stone niches that reveal how Armenian craftspeople refined their masonry techniques.