Holy Mother of God Church, Vaghashen
Two churches of markedly different ages stand near one another in Vaghashen. The older one is Surb Astvatsatsin, the Church of the Holy Mother of God. Armenia’s state inventory of monuments dates this ruined basilica to 1695. The domed church nearby is dedicated to Saint Gregory of Narek and was consecrated in 2014. The historic burial ground surrounding the basilica helps distinguish the two sites.
Three of the khachkars, or carved cross-stones, recorded by the church date from the ninth or tenth century. The inventory also records khachkars dated 1536 and 1547 and a gravestone dated 1535. These stones show that worship and commemoration at the site preceded the basilica by centuries. Burials continued after its construction as well. Among the dates recorded on the surrounding gravestones are 1701 and 1713.
About two kilometres south of Vaghashen, the remains of the village of Manushakadzor include another sanctuary dedicated to the Mother of God. This is an eleventh-century chapel with a medieval cemetery and a ninth- or tenth-century khachkar inside. The map marker on this page identifies the basilica of 1695 in the present village centre.