SEVAN / IXth century
The monastic complex is built on an island in Lake Sevan (ca. 2000 m.) which is now linked to the mainland by a narrow causeway because of the lowering of the level of the lake resultant from the construction of hydroelectric stations. Only two churches remain from the monastery: the larger one dedicated to the Mother of God, and the smaller one formerly dedicated to the Holy Apostles but subsequently (Xllth-Xlllth centuries) to St. John the Precursor. Both structures are triconchs with apses enclosed within the thickness of the wall in Syrian fashion. They are distinguishable by the means of transition to the circle of the cupola which are pendentives in the first church but squinches in the second.
Another fundamental element in the conception of the churches is the polychromatic effect obtained by the use of different materials (black basalt and bright reti tufo) and heightened by the vivid blue color of the lake. The relationship between the architecture and the setting is remarkably striking.
The region of Sevan was linked culturally and artistically with the so called School of Siwnik', which characterized the southern part of the country.

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