Arakelots Monastery is located 2 km from the village of Acharkut in the Tavush region of Armenia, on the left bank of the Kiran River. The monastery consists of two churches, a narthex, residential and utility buildings, most of which are in a semi-ruined state. The complex is surrounded by a thick wall, and 80 meters below the complex is a caravanserai.
The main church of the monastery was built in the 13th century. With a rectangular floor plan, the cross-shaped interior church belongs to the type of domed halls. The northern wall of the church is part of the wall of the complex. The dome is supported by a round drum resting on four arches that connect the pillars. The only entrance to the church is from the narthex. The church is built of greenish stones. The interior walls are plastered with lime mortar, on which fragments of frescoes have been preserved in some places.
The narthex of Arakelots Monastery is one of the bright examples of medieval Armenian architecture. Above the door of the narthex, there is an inscription mentioning the year 1245, from which it can be inferred that it was built in the 18th century. This rectangular structure is distinguished by its roof, which consists of two pairs of intersecting arches. The passage leading to the opening of the skylight is constructed in the “hazarashen” style, used in the construction of Armenian rural houses, with the difference that instead of wooden beams, stone beams are used, laid diagonally on top of each other. To the southwest of the narthex was the bell tower, of which only the lower parts of the walls have survived.
The second church of the monastery (14th century) is located on its southern side, adjacent to the western fortified wall. This rectangular church with a gabled roof belongs to the type of single-nave vaulted basilicas.
Under the southern wall of the main church stands the red tuff Khachkar of St. Karapet, notable for its intricate carvings and reliefs. Only ruins remain of the auxiliary buildings of the monastery.
The project is implemented within the framework of the “We Are Our Mountains” program, financed by the European Union’s EU4Culture initiative. The project is carried out by the Ijevan Municipality and the Urban Sustainable Development Foundation.
