Just north of the basilica stands one of the most enigmatic monuments in Armenia. Two rectangular stone stelae, each about four metres tall, rise from a shared platform framed by two narrow arches — a form unlike anything else in the country, with only one comparable monument known to exist, in the southern village of Aghudi in Syunik province.
The stelae are carved on all sides with scenes from both the Old and New Testaments: the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Baptism of Christ, three figures in the fiery furnace, and rows of apostles holding crosses. Scholars disagree about the date — estimates range from the late 6th century to the early 8th — and about the monument's original purpose, which may have been funerary, commemorative, or both. The quality of the carving and the richness of the iconographic program make it an important document in the history of early Christian art regardless of its precise meaning.