Moro-Dzoro Monastery is located on the right bank of the southwest gorge of the village of Lusahovit (formerly Tsrviz) in the Tavush Province of the Republic of Armenia. It is also known as the Monastery of Tsrviz. The Surb Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God) tetraconch domed church of the monastery was built in the 5th century with roughly hewn basalt stone (the original structure has been preserved up to the dome arches).
In the 6th–7th centuries, the dome-supporting arches, dome arches, and the dome itself were rebuilt with finely hewn basalt. The apses are horseshoe-shaped inside and semicircular outside (except for the southern apse, which is rectangular on the outside). The capitals of the eastern apse’s dome-supporting arches and the horizontal band stretching between them feature lancet and braided decorative carvings at the lower part.
Moro Dzoro Monastery flourished in the 12th–13th centuries, becoming one of the spiritual centers of the Mahkanaberd region. In 1177–78, Prince Kurd Artsruni, the ruler of Mahkanaberd and patron of the monastery, exempted Moro Dzoro Monastery from all taxes. This decision was confirmed by King George III of Georgia, with his inscription on the northern apse’s dome arch of the Holy Mother of God Church. In 1197, Prince Ivane Zakaryan and his sister Nana renovated Moro Dzoro Monastery, restoring the dome and roof of the Holy Mother of God Church. In 1213, Princes Zakare and Ivane Zakaryan once again renovated the monastery and appointed Father Evagrius as its abbot.
After the Mongol invasions, Moro Dzoro Monastery lost its privileges, the monastic community dispersed, and the Holy Mother of God Church continued to function as a parish church until the 19th century. In the 1980s, the dome and the coverings of the apses of the Holy Mother of God Church in Moro-Dzoro Monastery were renovated.
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.
