Surp-Khach Armenian Monastery

The architectural monument — the medieval Armenian monastery of Surp-Khach (1358) – is located in a picturesque place 4 kilometers from the city of Old Crimea, one of the oldest on the Peninsula. It is not known for sure when Armenians first appear in Crimea. It is believed that a large Armenian colony already existed here in the XIII century. Already here in the XIV–XV centuries there were four Armenian monasteries and nine churches. They opened schools, workshops, and created manuscripts. The history of Armenians who came from the city of Ani was recorded in the monastery in the neighboring Village (Feodosia). Unique handwritten books created in Solkhat (Old Crimea) are stored in the Institute of ancient manuscripts in Yerevan.

The monastery of Surp-Khach, one of the four monasteries that existed in these places — Surp-Khach — is located in a densely forested gorge under the mountain. This is an architectural complex of buildings built at different times. For many centuries, the monastery has been a center of spiritual attraction for Armenians, a Shrine, and a place of pilgrimage. The Armenian colonies did not have territorial borders, their own centralized management, or administrative ties with the mother country. All this was replaced by the Church, which spiritually United the Armenians, so that they preserved their native language, customs, writing, and faith in a foreign land. At various times, many Armenian cultural figures lived and worked in Surp-Khach. Now it is an architectural monument of national significance.

Location : Crimea