Aruch monastery

The village Aruch is one of the oldest settlements of Armenia. It is situated in historical Aragatsotn province, at the southern foot of Aragats Mountain near Ashtarak. Aruch Monastery was built in the late 660s by Grigor Mamikonyan, an Armenian nobleman, as part of his residence (the present-day village of Talish). The church is characterized by a spacious interior, with a pendent-like transition of the dome and copious stone-carving. Fragments of a 17th-century wall painting depicting Jesus Christ Enthroned and the Apostles adorn the main apse. A palace attributed to Grigor Mamikonyan, with a large rectangular central hall, side-chambers and galleries all along its perimeter, was unearthed in south of the Church.