Surb Khach Monastery, Staryi Krym
A 14th-century Armenian monastery in the forest on Mount Hrytsia; the Surb Nshan church was begun in 1358.
The Armenian monastery of Surb Khach (“Holy Cross”) stands in the forest on the slope of Mount Hrytsia near Staryi Krym. The construction of the Surb Nshan church is dated to 1358, although a Soviet-era plaque gives 1338 (Krym.Realii); the monastery’s name appears in a manuscript of 1347, and Hovhannes Sebastatsi is named as the builder of the church (RISU). Later a refectory, a monks’ building, fountains and a garden were added (Krym.Realii). The church was closed in 1925, a pioneer camp operated here in 1931–1938, and the complex was damaged in the Second World War (RISU; Krym.Realii). Services resumed in 1994, and in 2002 the monastery was handed to the Armenian Apostolic Church (Krym.Realii). In 2009 the National Bank of Ukraine issued a silver coin dedicated to it (Krym.Realii).
Crimea has been occupied since 2014 — no access.