Kobayr monastic complex

The Kobayr monastic complex is located in the village of Kobayr in the Lori Province. The monastery was founded in 1171 by Princess Mariam, daughter of Kyurike II Kyurikian. It was built on the site of one of the oldest sanctuaries in the region.

In the late 12th and early 13th centuries the monastery passed from the Kyurikians to the princely house of the Zakarians and was enlarged: the main church, a chapel-treasury, a refectory, a bell tower with a burial chamber and defensive structures were built. In the Middle Ages Kobayr was one of the important spiritual, cultural and educational centres of northern Armenia. In 17th-century manuscripts it is mentioned as an abandoned monastery, and in the 18th century as a functioning church.

The photograph shows the semicircular apse of the ruined church, with traces of wall paintings and two rows of windows. Fallen stones and grass lie below.