Avan Church, Ancient church in Avan District, Armenia
Avan Church is a red stone building in the Avan District of Yerevan with a prayer hall shaped like a cross and thick supporting walls. The complex is surrounded by a large cemetery that holds numerous stone crosses from different centuries and old funerary monuments.
John of Bagavan built this church in 591 as his religious seat after disagreements within the Armenian Church. The building later survived a major earthquake but sustained damage that left its mark on the structure.
The church walls display Greek and Georgian inscriptions that show how this place mattered to different Christian communities during medieval times. You can still see these carved texts today, which reveal the connections this church had with other Orthodox traditions.
The site is reasonably accessible and allows you to explore the old stonework and cemetery grounds. It helps to wear comfortable shoes since the ground is uneven and you will need to walk around the area.
This structure is considered the oldest preserved religious building in Yerevan and retains much of its original form despite earthquake damage. Its survival over so many centuries makes it an unusual testimony to early Armenian building skills.
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