St. Mariam

St. Mariam was the first church Tsarukyan built in his birthplace, but not the last. Immediately after its completion, the Tsarukyan family initiated the reconstruction of another church in Arinj, again named St. Mariam, which over the centuries had turned into ruins. There are no clear facts about its history, as no records have been preserved. However, according to the architect of the church, Samvel Stepanyan, the composition of the structure allows us to assume that it is a building of the 9-10th centuries. The architect says that during the cleaning of the ruins of the church, a sculpture depicting a lion's head was found, which resembles the ancient coat of arms of the Bagratunis in the form of a lion. This fact does not rule out that the church may have been built during their reign. Along with the bowed-down church, the Tsarukyan family is also restoring the fortress wall surrounding it, the traces of which lead to earlier periods.