Սուրբ Աստվածածին եկեղեցի, Church within Tatev Monastery complex in Syunik, Armenia
Saint Mary Church (Surb Astvatsatsin) is a two-storey burial-church built in 1087 by Bishop Grigor on the monastery's eastern arched gate. The lower floor served as a tomb for princes and clergy, while the upper floor holds a small domed chapel reached by stone steps. Its east window frame repeats foliate and almond-shaped carvings from the main Church of the Apostles, and its drum has eight facets with slender wall columns.
Bishop Grigor (1058–1116) moved the monastery's main entrance, called the Great Gate, from the west to the east side. In 1087 he built the two-storey Saint Mary Church over this new arched gate, with a burial vault on the ground floor and a small domed church above. The 1931 earthquake reduced the complex to ruins, and the church was rebuilt from the 1970s.
The church is the upper storey of a two-storey burial-church: the ground floor held the tombs of noble princes and clergy, while the small domed chapel above, reached by stone steps, has no apse. It is one of three such two-storey burial-churches found in Syunik, alongside Tsaghkatskar and Vahanavank.
Visitors reach the church by taking the Wings of Tatev cable car, which operates throughout the day and crosses the Vorotan River gorge. Walking around the monastery site involves uneven terrain and stairs, so visitors should wear appropriate footwear.
The church stands on the north-western corner of the monastery's defensive system, built in 1087 as a second storey over the main gate and the burial vault. Its lower floor was a tomb for noble princes and clergy, while the small domed church, reached by stone steps, occupies the upper floor and has no apse. Its east window frame repeats ornament from the main Church of the Apostles.
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