Categories: Antiquities

Church of St. Gevorg in Mughni

Mughni Monastery is located in the village of the same name north of the town of Ashtarak in Aragatsotn Province. The complex includes the main church of St. Gevorg (1661–1669) with a gallery, a refectory, the abbot’s apartments, and office premises. The buildings of the monastery are surrounded by a beautiful & well-kept garden and a wall.

The Church of St. Gevorg was built by architect Sahak Khizanetsi and his successor Murat in the crossed-dome architectural style.

Possessing considerable size, the church is one of the most interesting buildings of its time. The round drum of the dome is crowned with a tented roof. Under the dome windows, there is a relief image of evangelists.

The interior of the church features preserved fragments of paintings of the 17th century. The open three-arch gallery was built simultaneously with the church and differs from similar buildings. Its average span is made somewhat higher and wider than the side, which greatly enhances its architectural expressiveness. The gallery is crowned by a 12-column belfry rotunda.

Surb Gevorg Church (Mughni, Armenia) XIV century

Vigen Avetisyan

Recent Posts

The Earliest Known Mention of Yerevan in Armenian Epigraphy: The 874 Inscription of Sevanavank

Perched on the rocky peninsula of Lake Sevan, the medieval monastery of Sevanavank preserves one…

6 days ago

The Land of Kajants: Language, Kings, and Gods

Reconsidering the Language and Sacred Heritage of Urartu in Armenian Historical Thought For more than…

2 weeks ago

Hayasa-Azzi: A Powerful Armenian Kingdom of the Armenian Highlands

Among the earliest known states of the Armenian Highlands, few are as historically important as…

4 weeks ago

The Frescoes of Dadivank Monastery and the Misinterpretation of Heritage

The medieval monastery of Dadivank is one of the most important spiritual and artistic centers…

1 month ago

Armenian Orphan Girls in New York (1917): A Forgotten Act of Witness and Relief

In 1917, at the height of global upheaval during World War I, a small but…

1 month ago

The Armenian Genocide: State Crime, Mass Participation, and the Burden of Historical Responsibility

The Armenian Genocide (1915–1921 ...) was not an accident of war, nor a tragic byproduct…

1 month ago