In the village of Ovanavan, perched at the edge of the Kasagh River gorge, stands Ovanavank—also named Oghanavank—dedicated to John the Baptist (St. Ovanes Mkrtych). The oldest structure is a basilica church built in the 4th century by Gregory the Illuminator. To its north is another 4th-century church—likely erected atop a former pagan temple. Its wooden dome was replaced with stone in 554, and the church underwent full restoration between 1652 and 1734.
The main church, Surb Karapet, extends from the southern side of the one-nave basilica. Built between 1216 and 1221 under Prince Vache Vachutyan, and completed by his son Kurd, it stands among the most architecturally significant 13th-century Armenian churches. Its cruciform dome is richly adorned with bas‑reliefs and intricate decorations.
Nearly one hundred inscriptions, both inside and out, record dynastic lineages—especially the Vachutyans—along with construction details and donations. These were compiled and published by epigraphist historian Karapet Ghafadaryan.
A local legend tells that when Mongol-Tatars arrived, the monastery’s abbot chose to drown rather than watch his shrine desecrated. As he entered the river, he miraculously walked on water. Tamerlane, arriving in Armenia in 1386, witnessed this miracle and offered the abbot a wish. The abbot requested protection for as many villagers as the church could hold. Tamerlane granted it, and the church filled to capacity. Worshippers inside were said to transform into doves and rise into the heavens.
Ovanavank served as a key educational center in Ararat province. By the late 16th century, its school taught calendrics, philosophy, and music. Around 20 manuscripts from Ovanavank now reside in the Matenadaran repository in Yerevan. The site also preserves a cyclopean fortress (dating to the 2nd–1st millennium BC), a 5th-century monument, monastery-era residences (17th–18th centuries), and a cemetery with khachkars spanning the 9th–17th centuries.
Ovanavank deserves its place among Armenia’s golden monastic heritage, alongside Geghard, Tatev, and Sanahin with Haghpat. Its expansive courtyard is enclosed by ancient stone walls that may date as far back as the Urartian era. The Kasagh gorge served as a gateway into the Ayrarat plain and beyond, into Scythian lands.
At sunset, the monastery’s multi-colored stonework—the “pixelation” of its masonry—glows in shades from yellow and red to dark tones. Notably, its gavit (narthex), with the largest window found in Armenia, bathes in light like a Gothic cathedral.
On the north wall is an inscription documenting the building donors:
“In the year 699 (1250), under Shahinshah, son of the great Zakare, I, Kurd son of Vache, and my wife Khorishakh daughter of Martpan and Mamkan, having secured God’s mercy from foreign invaders, dedicated ourselves to the Armenian churches. In love for God, we contributed anew to Saint Karapet’s church, spent great sums, and completed this magnificent house. We assigned ten services for me, Kurd, and ten for Khorishakh. So long as we live, ten for Vache and ten for Mamahatun; after our death, beginning with the New Resurrection, may they be performed without fail. Whoever neglects shall bear our sins. May the Lord bless the executors of our will. Amen.”
Inside, the nave is awash with khachkars—stone crosses—creating a dense tapestry of carved patterns. The most striking is a khachkar featuring a human face—either Christ or Adam.
These khachkars reflect pilgrims’ devotion: prominent examples crafted by renowned artisans commissioned by princes or merchants, while simpler ones were carved by ordinary folk. Their density, like cratered terrain on a planet, signifies the monastery’s former prestige.
During its peak, Ovanavank housed impressive relics: the right hand of St. Stephen the Protomartyr, Christ’s burial shroud, and the nail used in the Crucifixion. Stephen’s hand now resides in Etchmiadzin. The burial shroud—likely the Holy Shroud—and the nail were taken to Moscow in 1627 by Persia’s Shah Abbas I, who sought alliance with Russia by gifting these sacred items. Before that, they were kept in Mtskheta, the Georgian cathedral Svetitskhoveli.
Beneath the monastery is a system of caves leading down into the gorge. A local legend recounts that when another conquest loomed, the abbot asked that villagers have one last moment of prayer. As invaders stormed the cathedral, they found only the abbot and a flock of doves: the villagers escaped through those caves, unnoticed.