Church of the Holy Mother of God, Sotk
The Church of the Holy Mother of God in Sotk dates back to the ninth century. The state inventory identifies subsequent building campaigns in 1276, in the seventeenth century and in 1991. The walls visible today preserve evidence of this long history.
A ninth- or tenth-century khachkar is set into the west wall. On the outer face of the east wall, a cross-stone from the eleventh or twelfth century lies horizontally in the masonry. More stones are incorporated into the sanctuary platform and the entrances to the sacristies. A visitor examining only the exterior would see just part of the collection.
Later stones also preserve personal names. Theodoros’s khachkar of 1547 is set into the exterior of the south wall. Shahzar’s stone of 1550 is in the west wall. These names connect the sixteenth-century history of the church with the individuals commemorated here.