The Yeghishe Arakyal Monastery stands on the bank of the Tartar River near the village of Madagiz, in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. It belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church. Construction began in the fifth century, and the source dates the main church to 1165, though the infobox says the thirteenth century. The monastery is named for Yeghishe, a disciple of Thaddeus the Apostle, whose relics were moved here.
The complex has the main church, seven chapels, a cemetery and the ruins of other buildings. One chapel holds the tomb of Vachagan III, King of Caucasian Albania, who reigned from 487 to 510. Another holds the grave of Melik-Atam the Great.
In the Middle Ages it was a major center of culture and learning, producing and holding many manuscripts. It stayed largely untouched in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict because of its remote location, though vegetation and weathering have weakened the structure.
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