Aghtamar Island and the Church of the Holy Cross

Aghtamar is an island in Lake Van (now in Turkey). Its total area is 16–17 hectares, making it the second largest of the four islands in the lake. In the 10th century the island was the residence of the Armenian kings of the Artsruni dynasty.

The island is famous for a medieval monument of Armenian architecture, the Cathedral Church of the Holy Cross. It is renowned for the frescoes preserved to this day on its inner walls and dome, and on the outside for numerous high reliefs depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments. The church was built by the architect Manuel in 915–921, during the flourishing of the Kingdom of Vaspurakan, in the reign of King Gagik Artsruni. The ruins of a 10th-century harbour also survive on the island.

In the photograph the church appears among blossoming trees, with the lake and a snow-covered mountain behind it.