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Photo: © Travis K. Witt, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
restored Armenian church of the 7th-century.
Saint Christopher Monastery is a restored Armenian church of the 7th century, located in a cemetery 2.2 kilometres (1.4 mi) southeast of the outskirts of Dashtadem village and Dashtadem Fortress in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. Adjacent to the church (north) is a 13th-century stone rectangular tower (bell/defensive/funerary) with sloped walls. It has small windows on the upper portion of the wall, but no access to the interior. The surrounding cemetery has been in use from the 6th century to modern times, and contains several khachkars. A low-stone wall surrounds the complex and a section of the old cemetery. Dashtadem Fortress may be seen in the distance from the monastery.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
10th to 19th centuries fortress. It has a castle and church in the middle of a fortress. These are being restored, and are worth a side trip on the way to Gyumri in the north.
Just west of the town center is the huge 7th century cathedral built much in the style of the Cathedral of Ani a few kilometers west, and the Cathedral of Aruch, a few kilometers east down the highway, and worth a visit also. Talin Cathedral also has a smaller, tiled-roof church near the entrance to the grounds.