St. Mesrop Mashtots Church, Oshakan, Armenia

The church of St. Mesrop Mashtots is located in Oshakan village. After Mesrop Mashtots death Vahan Amatuni and Hmayak Mamikonyan buried him in Oshakan, and in three years, in 443, Vahan Amatuni built a cruciform chapel there. Later in 1875-79 Catholicos Gevorg IV built a new basilica type church on the place of the old chapel. Under the altar of the church there is a grave of Mesrop Mashtots, and in 1884 a two-story cylindrical bell tower was added to the eastern side of the church. This bell tower is a unique in Armenian architecture, both by the shape and placement, as its entrance is from the altar of the church. In 1960s the interior of the church was decorated with frescoes by the artist H. Minasyan.