Saghmosavank Monastery is a medieval church of the 13th century located in the Aragatsotn region, about a 40-minute drive from Yerevan. The name translates as Monastery of Psalms, and just like Ohanavank, it is also situated atop a picturesque gorge by the Kasagh River. From the monastery, you can admire the view of the biblical Mount Ararat and Mount Aragats.
The main church of the monastery, St. Zion, was erected by Prince Vache Vachutyan in 1215. It belongs to the cross-winged domed structures with two-storied annexes in all the corners of the building. His son, Prince Kurd Vachutyan, continued the work by adding the gavit (narthex) in 1255 and the library, transforming Saghmosavank into a significant spiritual, cultural, and educational center.
The second church, named Holy Mother (Surb Astvatsatsin), was built in 1235 and was significantly renovated in 1669. The church has a manuscript repository and, in medieval times, kept valuable items and manuscripts. That said, the monastery was a prominent center for scholarship and manuscript production and housed a collection of valuable manuscripts, religious texts, historical chronicles, and philosophical works.
Despite all the damages, including a devastating earthquake in 1988, Saghmosavank underwent extensive restoration between 1998 and 2000, coinciding with the 1700th anniversary of Christianity as the state religion in Armenia.
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