Srvegh Monastery is located about 3 kilometers southwest of the village of Aygehovit, on the slope called “Under the Cross.” The monastery was built in the 13th century. It was one of the spiritual and cultural centers of the Kayan district in medieval Armenia.
The complex consists of two churches, residential and economic buildings for the monks. It is surrounded by a fortified wall, of which only the foundations remain. Outside the walls, in the vicinity of the monastery, there are remnants of other buildings, tombstones, and khachkars (cross-stones). Clay pipes for water conduction have been preserved, indicating that water was brought to the monastery from a few kilometers away, from the nearby mountains.
The main church, Saint Nshan, is of the domed hall type. The lower rows of the walls, about one meter high, are constructed with polished dark pink andesite stones. This is one of the few brick-built monuments in Armenia. An inscription, partially preserved, on the front of the altar stone mentions the name Saint Nshan. The exact date of construction is unknown, but it is assumed to be from the 12th-13th centuries. The walls contain intricately carved and inscribed fragments of khachkars (cross-stones) from different eras, all belonging to an older structure. A medieval cemetery surrounds the church.
The church has been renovated multiple times. The two corners of the eastern facade, the central part of the altar, the western door frame, the corner sections, and parts of the dome have been fully renovated.
Saint Astvatsatsin Church is located north of the main church. It is in ruins and is a single-nave hall type, built in 1889 by the village community under the leadership of Father Hovhannes. The walls contain fragments and entire khachkars. The floor features large tombstones. After the Kirants Monastery, it is the second brick-built church in that area from the medieval period.
The project is implemented within the framework of the EU4Culture program “we are our mountains”, funded by the European Union. The project is being implemented by the Municipality of Ijevan and the Urban Sustainable Development Fund.
