St. Hovhannes Basilica

Around a 35-minute drive northwest of the center of Yerevan, you will find the 7th-12th St. Hovhannes Basilica in the center of the village of Voskevaz. I could not find much information about the site other than that in 2005 restoration began on the church. The year before one of the walls had collapsed. The eastern wall was the most preserved original wall which dates back to the 7th century. As of 2014, the church has been fully restored/reconstructed. The basilica has a common cruciform plan with a rectangular exterior. There are entrances from the south and west. Since most of the exterior has been reconstructed there isn't much decoration. Wherever an original stone was used, you might see a carving of a cross or some other decoration on it. If you look closely, you can pretty easily see what originally remained before the reconstruction, especially in the eastern part of the building. Along the exterior of the southern wall, you will see some remnants of decorations. When you enter the church, you can really understand how big it is. Just like the exterior, the interior does not have many decorations. Looking to the east you will see the apse above the altar, which is probably the only "ceiling" part of the original church that remained. On either side of the altar there are rooms, also most likely from the original construction from the 7th century. There isn't too much to see inside so make sure to look closely at all of the original stones that still have carvings on them! Unfortunately, not much from the original church remains but still worth a look if you are in the area!

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