1000 Dram Relics of Saint John the Baptist

This piece was issued to commemorate the relic of Saint John the Baptist held at the Gandzasar Monastery in Nagorno-Karabakh — one of the most venerated sites in the Armenian Apostolic Church, founded in the 13th century by the Hasan-Jalal dynasty. The monastery reportedly houses a portion of the saint's skull, a claim that has drawn pilgrims for centuries and that the Armenian Church has consistently defended as authentic.

Gold-plated silver issues of this type from the Central Bank of Armenia are produced in strictly limited quantities, typically under 2,000 pieces.