SAŁMOSAVANK' / XIth-Xllth centuries
Upstream from the monastery of Hovhan­navank', likewise on the edge of the deep gorge of the Kasał river stands this complex which was built in its present form (Xlllth century) by the same architect as Hovhannavank'. It con­sists of a complex and compact ensemble com­posed of a main church, Holy Sion (1215) which is a domed hall, of four small two storied chapels flanking the central space of a large «gavit» and of a smaller church-library dedicated to the Virgin (1255). This last is a boldly conceived asymmetric structure with a crossed vault illuminated almost exclusively by a central skylight.

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