Saint Christopher Monastery (original) (raw)

Saint Christopher Monastery (Armenian: Սուրբ Քրիստափորի վանք; meaning the Monastery of Saint Christopher), 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 interesting 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.