Saint Sarkis Monastery of Ushi

Saint Sarkis Monastery of Ushi - it is a large Armenian monastic complex in the village of Ushi, Aragatsotn Province, Republic of Armenia. It was one of the most important centers of spiritual education in the Middle Ages. It is included in the list of immovable monuments of history and culture of Ushi. The monastery complex of St. Sarkis, which was founded in the 5th-7th centuries, on a hill 1 km west of the village of Ushi. Patmahair Movses Khorenatsi and Ghevond Alishan testify about the monastery. The complex consists of two churches, the courtyard, the walls, and auxiliary buildings. It was founded by Mesrop Mashtots, who The remains of Sargs were brought first by Karbi, then by Ush and the church was founded on the relics of the saint. The ancient S. Sargis is a one-nave vaulted church, with a horseshoe-shaped main hall leading to the adjoining depository from the north. The lower, early medieval part of the walls is lined with rough basalt stone, and the upper part was rebuilt in 1203 with hewn black tuff. XII century last - XIII century. In the 1st half, S. Adjacent to the Sarkis church from the north, the main lower part of the monastery was built with the design of a domed hall with a pair of gables, with floral and geometric ornaments art. and no. the porches, the magnificent sculptured stage front, individual details (fragments of the decorative belt and cornice of the dome's polygonal drum, etc.). The main tabernacle and the ceiling of the church were covered with frescoes, the use of multi-colored stones contributed to the artistic expression of the building.

Saint Astvatsatsin Church. It is the main Catholic church of the monastery complex. As we mentioned, it was built in the 13th century by Vache Vachutyan, S. Next to the southern wall of Sargis Church. The former church had a rectangular base and a domed hall. The dome was supported by a domed square on the western side of the prayer hall, and on the two sides of the senior tabernacle. It was distinguished from the outside and the inside by its luxurious appearance, as well as many inscriptions. That luxury was also applied to the western and southern porches. And the senior tabernacle was distinguished by its murals. On both sides of the altar, two-story storage rooms were built. The vestibule was built by St. Adjacent to the southern wall of the Astvatsatsin Church in 1264, according to the inscription on the altar of the western porch. It is a structure with a rectangular base, four gables and eight masonry arches with a cross transmission. There are two entrances: west and east. The standing window of the southern wall of the vestibule, divided into two parts by a gable, is noteworthy.

Bell tower. The foundation walls and some of the stones of the porch have been preserved. It was built in 1311. S. Adjacent to the western wall of the Astvatsatsin Church and the vestibule.

Other memorable structures of the monument-complex are also the economic, residential and auxiliary buildings built by Reverend Oskan Yerevantsi in the XVII-XVIII centuries, including the guest house, which was built in 1654-1662, as well as the wall separating the complex with towers.

In 1827 after a devastating earthquake, the monument-complex was neglected and over the years it was covered with a soil layer several meters thick. Only in 1999-2001. thanks to the comprehensive excavations, it was possible to free the monastery complex from that plot of land, and in 2004 was restored in the 5th century S. Church of Sargis. Based on the need to organize further works, restoration initiatives have been implemented since 2007.