Haghpat stands on a shelf of the Lori plateau in northern Armenia, above the deep gorge of the Debed, with mountains rising behind and the village pressing up to the monastery walls. It was founded in the tenth century, in the period of the Bagratid kings, and became one of the most important religious and intellectual centres of medieval Armenia. The complex is not a single church but an accumulation: the main church of the Holy Sign, vaulted gavits or porch-halls where the community gathered and the dead were buried, a refectory, a book depository, chapels and a free-standing bell tower. Around and within them stand khachkars, the carved cross-stones of Armenia, including one of the most celebrated examples of the art. Here manuscripts were copied and illuminated, and music and theology taught; the poet and troubadour Sayat-Nova is traditionally said to have spent his last years at the monastery. Haghpat is inscribed on the World Heritage List together with Sanahin, a short distance away. Filmed in 4K, with aerial views of the gorge and close attention to carved stone, the programme suits strands on sacred sites, medieval history and the Caucasus.
