According to the Epic Histories attributed to the more or  less  existent  5^th c. historian Pavstos Buzand, King Shapuh II of Persia exhumed the bones of the kings of Armenia and carried them off to Persia, taking with him the luck and power of Armenia.  However, sparapet Vasak Mamikonian, having defeated the Persians, reclaimed the bones of the Arshakuni dynasty and buried the royal  bones, pagan and Christian separately, in a low vaulted chamber. Bring a flashlight to see the carved figures-Daniel in the lions’ den on the left, a mythical hero on the right, decorating the side niches, a unique example of late 4^th or early 5^th c. Christian art in Armenia. N of the shrine, whose superstructure is destroyed, are the lower walls of a 4^th c. Christian basilica.