The Surb Khach Church stands in the center of Akhalkalaki, on Tavlisupleba Street. The first church here was built in the 1830s by Armenian refugees from Karin, funded by their own money, and in the 1850s, a new one was erected in its place at the initiative of local resident Karapet Yagubyants.
The church is domed, with a spacious hall, and its external dimensions are 27.7 by 16 meters. The roof and dome are supported by three pairs of interior columns. Sacristy flank the altar, and the only entrance is on the west. The two-story bell tower is constructed of rough stone, lime, and logs.
The most interesting feature here is the stone. A khachkar from the 9th-10th centuries is carved on the eastern façade. Another is located inside the altar, and a third, discovered in 1989 in the city's Armenian cemetery, was moved to the church grounds.
The Mesropian Seminary for Men opened at the church in 1836, and in 1871, the Sandukht Girls' School opened in the narthex. In 1921, the church was closed and used as a salt warehouse; it was not returned to the faithful until 1944. Restorations took place in 1977 and 1998. In the courtyard stand an obelisk commemorating the victims of the Armenian earthquake, a khachkar commemorating the victims of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, and a monument to Archbishop Karapet Bagratuni, unveiled in 2000.
🕍 What to see
A 9th-10th-century khachkar on the eastern façade, a 13th-14th-century khachkar in the courtyard, a two-story bell tower, an obelisk, and a monument to Karapet Bagratuni.
💰 Free or paid
Admission is free.
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