Gharghavank. Zoravor Church Royalty-Free Stock Photography

Gharghavank Zoravor Church is a ruined Armenian Apostolic church located on the outskirts of the village of Zoravan, at the lower slopes of Mount Ara in Kotayk Province, Armenia. To get to the church, turn left immediately after the small cemetery before reaching the village and go up the dirt road that follows closely next to the cemetery grounds. At the fork, keep following left up past the cemetery along a poorly maintained dirt road. After traveling some distance, the church will be perched upon the hillside to the right. Gharghavank may actually be seen from the main highway in the distance, but is hardly distinguishable from the other ruins of more modern structures scattered nearby. A short walk up the hill leads to the church and an ancient cemetery a little further up the hill. According to the Armenian historian Vardan Areveltsi of the 13th century, Gharghavank was built between the years 661 and 685 by Prince Grigor Mamikonian. The church is a centrally-planned aisled tetraconch type with eight semicircular apses radiating from the interior octagonal space. Exteriors of the eight apse walls alternate with eight rectilinear panels containing wide triangular niches which divide each of the apses. The thick apse walls and pendentives supported a drum and cupola above. Most of the drum and the cupola have since collapsed. Fragments of the geometric decoration may be seen around the premises.