Aruchavank – St. Grigor Monastery (or Cathedral of Aruch) is located near the western foot of Mount Aragats, in the Aragatsotn region, about a 50-minute drive from Yerevan.
According to an inscription on the church, it was built between 661 and 682 by the Armenian prince Grigor Mamikonian.
Aruchavank is considered one of the most important Armenian churches of the Middle Ages, and it is also one of the largest from that period.
Even though the temple is still standing, it is in a partially ruined condition. In earlier times, the walls of Aruchavank were covered with frescoes depicting the scene of the Resurrection, but today those images are barely visible. The site of Aruchavank also includes tombs from the Bronze Age, remnants of old castles, 13th-century caravanserais, and the ruins of other auxiliary buildings.
In the main part of the altar, there is a 7-meter-tall fresco of Jesus Christ, holding a manuscript in His left hand. Beneath the main dome, the name of the painter Stepanoanos, is inscribed.
During excavations in 1948 and 1951, archaeologists discovered a castle near the temple, which had been mentioned in historical manuscript sources. The castle consisted of two big holes and structurally was very similar to the residence of catholicos in Dvin.
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