TSITSERNAVANK' / Vth-Vlth centuries
The name means «Swallows' monastery». This complex still enclosed in its protective walls is located on a low hill dominating a wild valley in the region of Karabagh which is now part of the Azerbaijan S.S.R.
The ground plan ressembles that of the triple-naved basilicas of Ełvard, Ashtarak and Aparan but with still more striking orientalizing traits. The horseshoe shaped apse is enclosed in the thickness of the wall and the small windows also have the some form. The entrances on the south side and the internal proportions of the nave show a remarkable vertícal thrust which is accentuated by the reduced dimensions of the side aisles and the cross vaulting of the main nave. One of the most unusual details is the tripartite gallery (now inaccessible) in the apse; some analogy may be found in Visigothic art despite the improbability of stylistic contact. The basilica was built on a previous pagan structure of which the subsisting foundations are clearly distinguishable through the difference in the materials used. The north wall and all the interior pillars have been coated with reinforcements in masonery perhaps as a result of a tendency to landslides.
The geometric bas-reliefs on the pillars are very interesting as well as the curious small niches whose purpose is unknown.

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