The Khoranashat Monastery Complex is located in Tavush Province, near the village of Chinari. The monastery was founded in the 13th century by Vanakan Vardapet (1181–1251), a disciple of Mkhitar Gosh. According to one hypothesis, the church received its name because of the numerous niches in its sanctuary. However, similar architectural features can also be found at Marmashen and Makaravank, whose names are unrelated to this characteristic. According to the historian Kirakos Gandzaketsi, the church was named after the many churches that once existed in the area.
The Khoranashat Monastery Complex consists of the churches of the Holy Mother of God, St. Kiraki, and St. Hermit, and several other adjoining structures, of which only ruins have survived.
The main Church of the Holy Mother of God is an externally rectangular structure measuring approximately 12.7 × 11 meters. Inside, it is a cross-shaped domed hall with two-story sacristies on either side of the sanctuary. No inscription recording the exact year of the church’s foundation has survived. However, inscriptions dating from 1211 to 1220 are preserved on its walls. The stones used in the church display a variety of natural shades.
The church is particularly remarkable for its eastern façade. In its central section are four pairs of hooked-cross motifs, each composed of four T-shaped stones. Architecturally, this arrangement of hooked-cross motifs was an innovative feature and is also repeated at Shkhmurad Monastery.
A large gavit adjoins the main church from the west. Its construction had already begun by 1222. This is attested by an inscription in the southeastern chamber, in which a monk named Saighomon states that he provided the funds for the construction of that chamber. The gavit is a centrally planned, four-column structure measuring approximately 16.8 × 16 meters and includes two two-story chambers. Its roofing system is particularly noteworthy. It belongs to the group of medieval gavits designed with intersecting arches.
The Church of St. Kiraki stands about 4 meters from the Church of the Holy Mother of God. No information concerning the date or circumstances of its construction has survived.
The significance of Khoranashat extends beyond its architecture. From the 1210s onward, a monastic school of higher learning also operated here. The school was particularly important for the study and preservation of history. As early as 1223, Stepanos Aghtamartsi copied a manuscript collection here.
