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Sona Avagyan

Lori’s Bgavor Church to Undergo Facelift in 2014

Armenia’s Ministry of Culture has informed Hetq that the Bgavor Church in Armenia’s northern Lori Province will undergo reinforcement and partial restoration work starting next year.

There is no information about the church construction date from historical sources or inscriptions. Architecture of the church has something in common with monuments located in the same region (AkhtalaKobayr XIII c.). That's why it"s supposed that Bgavor Church was built around the same period.

Some elements of decorative design resemble Georgian churches of 12-14th centuries, which is probably the result of trade and cultural relations between Georgians and Armenians during the reign of the Zakarian dynasty.

The church is located three kilometres north-west of the village of Akori and it’s a one hour walk up the gorge.

While Bgavor has no roof, it is in relatively better shape than many other medieval religious sites in Armenia due to the visible lack of graffiti.

The church has three entrances – from the south, west and north (now closed). The doors and the windows and decorated with twisted ornaments. The main altar is sparingly lit up through three narrow windows.


The façade and some elements of the interior design are made of smooth-hewn basalt, while the walls from the inside are laid with rough stone.

A few meters up from the church, visitors will find a spring and a picnic area for barbequing. It would appear that no one has used the facility for some time.

From the heights of Bgavor, one can make out all of the Lori Valley. On the left is a portion of the town of Alaverdi, and all of the villages of Sanahin, Haghpat and Akner. On the right are Akori and Odzoun.

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