The oil mill

In the XVII-XVIIIth cc. the monasteries of Syunik, as well as all the religious ensembles of Armenia had quite rich and well developed economies.

In the ensembles of the late Middle Ages we can see wineries, mills, oil mills, which are interesting examples of utilitarian buildings of Armenian architecture. An interesting example of functional buildings is the oil mill of Tatev monastery (XVIIIth c.) situated within twenty meters of the monastery fence. It has a compact plan with four rooms and is built with rough basalt stones.

The main room is divided into three parts with two pair of pillars.. The dome tops the central part, laying on the arches over the four pillars. In the center there is a big circle with high sides. It is a vessel with a vertical round mill.

The oil-mill of Tatev with its architectural solutions is considered as one of the most interesting and valuable constructions of this type in Armenian architecture. Another example of this interesting type of architecture is the winery of the Mets Anapat of Tatev, called Sevi. It is situated not far from the monastery on the hillside in the vineyards. With its planning-space composition this building is different from the wineries of the Middle Ages that are familiar to us .

The construction has a rectangular plan and two stories. The ground floor is half interred in the slope. There is a wide balcony upstairs, intended for drying fruits.