Gandzasar is located in the very heart of Artsakh’s historical province of Khachen. The word "Gandzasar" is translated from Armenian as "Treasure-Mountain". It is a treasure, indeed. The Monastery was founded by the Khachen Prince, Asan Jalal (1216-1238 yy.). It was sanctified in 1240. The architecture of the Monastery harmonically blends with the surrounding nature. Central Cathedral Hovhannes Mkrtich (St. John the Baptist) is masterly embellished with bas-reliefs depicting the Crucifixion, Adam and Eve and dozens of other stones. According to the inscription on the wall of the Cathedral, it was completed in 1236. Gandzasar used to be one of the centers of national-liberation movement, initiated by the Armenian meliks (princes) of Artsakh. It was in Gandzasar where the representatives of Armenian nobility prepared and signed the famous appeal for assistance addressed to the Russian monarch Peter I the Great.