Shoghakat Church

Late-seventeenth-century church marking another martyrdom site of Hripsime's nuns

Shoghakat — "drop of light" — was built in 1694 by Prince Aghamal Sorotetsi on the spot where, according to tradition, a ray of light fell on the bodies of Hripsime's martyred companions. It is younger than the famous trio of seventh-century churches but follows the same architectural language, on a more modest scale.

The setting is residential and unpretentious, with a small khachkar garden beside the entrance. Few visitors make it here, which is part of the appeal: come on a weekday morning and you might have the church to yourself.

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