MARMASHEN VANK Shirak Armenia

Marmashen Vank*. Close to Gyumri, this impressive monastic complex sits on an impressive shelf with fruit trees above the Akhurian River, beside a stream that ends in a waterfall. The Katoghike church of S. Stepanos was built by Vahram Pahlavuni, whose gravestone sits in the ruined gavit, between 988 and 1029. The gavit itself is 13th c. There is an Astvatsatsin church, and a S. Petros, and archaeologists found remnants of a fourth, nearly circular church, along with foundations of a pre-Christian temple and many service buildings. The complex was ruined by the Seljuks, and rebuilt by Vahram’s grandsons. On the hill N is a cemetery with a ruined chapel. There is a bridge probably of the 10-11th c. on the Akhurian nearby. Across the river, near an abandoned medieval settlement, are Bronze Age graves. Visiting Northern Armenia in the Shirak Region this is a "must see". In the right light the area is mystical, magical, truly storybook. within short distances are the remains of numerous historically significant timelines in not only Armenian history but world history as well.