Entrance Doors of Noravank Monastery

The entrance doors of Noravank.

Noravank (the name means “new monastery”) is an Armenian monastic complex built in the 13th–14th centuries, 122 km from Yerevan, on a ledge of a narrow, winding gorge of a tributary of the Arpa River, near the village of Areni. The gorge is known for the sheer red cliffs that rise behind the monastery. Within the monastery stands the two-storey church of Surb Astvatsatsin, with narrow stairs projecting from its wall.

The photograph shows double wooden doors carved with crosses and interlace ornament. Above the door is a stone relief of the enthroned Mother of God with the Child, flanked by winged figures and Armenian letters. The entrance is framed by a carved arch and slender columns.