An unusual and unknown place.

Noravank Monastery in Armenia

Below is the tomb of Elikum III Orbelian. Elikum was the son of Tarsaich Orbelian who married one of Hasan Jalal’s daughters, Princess Mina. Elikum’s tomb, dated 1300, is inside the Chapel of St. Gregory, at the Noravank Monastery (in the present-day province of Vayots Dzor, Republic of Armenia). The mysterious image of a large anthropomorphic Lioness is masterfully engraved on Elikum’s tombstone. The human-looking hands and feet of the Lioness have long claws, a nimbus shines above her head, and a long tail hangs gently between her legs. No one could so far come up with a definitive explanation of what the Lioness was meant to symbolize. Nevertheless, it is a unique and striking piece of art.

                                                                   Monastery door