Type: Domed 3 nave Basilica

Date: Xth - XIth c

Summary: The church of the Mother of God stands in the center of the city, it was visible from all points. The church is the work of the famous architect Trdat between 989 and 1001. It is a large triple-nave domed basilica the result of a fusion between basilica and central plan.

The now fallen cupola was supported by four large pillars and large, slightly ogival arches. The exterior walls do not express the volumes and space of the interior but they are given a vertical articulation by a series of small blind arcades carried on tall half-columns. This rhythm is interrupted by a taller and larger arch corresponding to the central portion of the church. Two deep triangular niches are cut not only into the apse but also into the large walls, that correspond to the cupola and the internal projections of the wall.

The building which lacks both drum and cupola is badly damaged at the entrances and on the north-western angle as well.