St. Stepanos Church (Yukhari Aylis)

The church was most probably built in the 12th or 13th century and was rebuilt in the 17th century and in 1845.^[1][2][3]

The church was built with basalt and reddish-pink colored stones, it was a basilica-style structure with a four-sided dome and a cross-like roof. In the eastern part of the church, on both sides of the main altar, there were quite large and semicircular altars. The church had three entrances, which were located on the southern, western and eastern sides. The domed basilica had three apses facing a main hall, and under the apses were vestries that could be accessed from their bemas. The cupola rested on four cruciform pillars. There were Armenian inscriptions on the southern facade and decorative sculptures around the entrances and windows.^[1][2][3][4]