Seven Churches

Although it is called 'Seven Churches', our sightseeing point, which is not composed of seven churches; It is considered one of Van's oldest historical monuments. The structure; Consists of five churches, a community house (jametun), a bell tower and a library. The entire church complex is called the Varagavank Armenian Monastery. Built in the 8th century, the oldest is the church of St. Sophia. However, only the curved part (apsis) of the altar chamber survived from the structure to the present day. The second oldest building made to this day of the monastery is St. John's Church. This church is adjacent to the northern walls of St. Sophia. St. Sophia and St. John's Churches are in the first group of the complex. The second group forms the core architecture of the structure, the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary, which was completed in 1021. Its exterior architecture has a rectangular plan in the east and west directions. The four-leaf clover figure, which is a symbol of luck and fertility from the past to the present, has been one of the indispensable architectural elements of religious structures. The interior architecture of Seven Churches is planned in accordance with the figure.