Kobayravank
Chronicles of the 12th century attest that Kobayravank was one of Armenia's outstanding spiritual and cultural centers, renowned for its scriptorium.
David of Kobayri, who gained fame as a calligrapher and manuscript illuminator, practiced here for a time; the author of seventeen works, he is remembered as "a respectable and intelligent priest."
Of the three churches in the monastic complex, the oldest is Mariamshen-built (according to surviving inscriptions above its entrance( by Princess Mariam, daughter of King Gyurige II, in 1171. In 2006, the Republic of Armenia allocated budgetary resources to preserve and restore this valuable historic monument, which will hopefully be revived as a cultural center functioning, as in olden times, amid the scent of incense and the pleasing sound of bells.