Armenian fountain monument in Yazlovets (1611)

In the village of Yazlovets in Ukraine’s Ternopil region, a rare Armenian fountain monument built in 1611 and known as the “Armenian Well” was found by chance in the cellar of a village house. It went unnoticed for more than four centuries because most of the structure lies underground. Researchers believe the water system was created by 17th-century Armenian craftsmen: the water first collects in an underground reservoir and then flows out.

A stone slab with inscriptions in Armenian and Latin has survived. The Armenian inscription reads: “The Armenian Hakob built it in 1611 for the good of the people. This cross and fountain are the work of Hakob and his brother Stepan. The stonework was done with devotion by master Abraham.”

The photograph shows the stone structure: an eagle with spread wings in the triangular top, beneath it a cross in an arched niche, and an inscribed slab below. Around it are damp walls with flaking plaster.