Sanahin Monastery (Lori province - Armenia) - Abbeys, Convents and Monasteries on Waymarking.com

Sanahin Monastery, situated high above the Debet gorge in Lori province, is a second half of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin" comprising two important examples of the medieval ecclesiastic Armenian architecture.

Sanahin monastery and its nearby cousin Haghpat, Sharp in the fortunes and travails of the times, intertwined in history while each unique as a center of learning, religion study and font of spirituality. The exact date of the founding of Sanahin is unknown. It is believed to have been founded in the 4th century when a St. N’shan (Holy Sign) cross was erected at the site. Sanahin is said to be older monastery (its name in Armenian translates into "this one is older that that one"). Like in Haghpat, medieval calligraphers studied theology and humanities here, translated Euclid's and Plato's works bringing together antique and oriental traditions. The design and scientific significance of the Sanahin Monastery's architectural construction is beyond national. The unity and compactness of the whole monastery complex were achieved due to the fact that for a period of three centuries all the architects thoroughly examined everything built by their predecessors and built on their past experience. It’s one of the key reasons why was together with Haghpat inscripted into UNESCO World heritage list in 1996.