ALA CHURCH

ALA CHURCH

In the monumental church of the closed Greek Cross type, the dome rises above the walls bounding the corner rooms. The central space and cross arms, dome, corner rooms are covered with barrel vaults. The frescoes covering the walls and the cover system have been partially destroyed, while the existing scenes have remained under a thick layer of dirt and soot. The façade of the rock mass, which includes the monastery spaces, consists of three vertical sections formed by four piers, bounded by a blind arched cornice from the top. Each section is divided into three horizontal strips with two deletions. The upper strip is decorated with a blind arched arc. The vertical section on the left is twice the width of the other sections and includes the entrance door of the church. At the bottom of the middle section are two deaf niches with horseshoe arches crowned with triangular pediments. On the right, there is a gate to the monastery. The frescoes are dated to the end of the 10th century or the first half of the 11th century.
Visit to the southern pediment of the southern cross arm; the birth of Jesus in the northern pediment of the northern cross arm; Anastasis in the western pediment; the entrance to Jerusalem on the southern pediment of the western cross arm; Last Supper on the northern pediment; three Hebrew young men in the oven on the north wall of the southwest corner; In the southern wall, the Consecration of the Egyptian Virgin Mary, Zosimus' giving her coat to the Egyptian Virgin and depictions of the saints are covered.