Eternity sign carved in stone, Dadivank

The eternity sign, also known as Arevakhach, is an ancient Armenian national symbol. Having neither beginning nor end, it stands for eternal life, rebirth and continuity, and for the bond between the heavenly and the earthly. It is usually an ornament turning clockwise or anticlockwise, made of interlaced bands, often with eight arms.

The sign is widespread in Armenian architecture and art: on khachkars, church walls and gravestones, and today also on emblems and commemorative coins.

The photograph shows a large circle carved on a stone slab, entirely filled with interlaced looping lines, with a small rosette at the centre. According to the source, it is part of a khachkar or an architectural element from Dadivank, a monastery known for its finely carved 13th-century stonework.