Kobayr Monastery
Kobayr Monastery (Armenian: Քոբայր) is a partly preserved 12th–13th-century monastic complex clinging to a vertical cliff above the…
Armenian Monasteries and Temples
Armenia became the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301 AD, and the landscape today still carries more than 4,000 churches and monasteries — some clinging to cliffs, some hidden in forests, some standing on the empty steppe with Mount Ararat as backdrop. The catalogue below covers the country’s most-visited sites: from the 1st-century pagan temple of Garni to the 13th-century Tatev Monastery with its cable car over the Vorotan canyon. Each entry gives a short summary, the distance from Yerevan, and the natural day-trip combination. Four monastic complexes are UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Echmiadzin Cathedral, Geghard, Haghpat, and Sanahin.
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Sevanavank Monastery
Sevanavank Monastery (Armenian: Սևանավանք — “the Black Monastery”) is one of the most recognisable images of Armenia. Set…
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Hayravank Monastery
Hayravank Monastery (Armenian: Հայրավանք — “Father’s Monastery”) is a 9th–12th-century complex perched on a rocky cliff above the…
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Zvartnots Cathedral
Zvartnots Cathedral (Armenian: Զվարթնոց — “the Celestial Angels”) is the ruined remains of a 7th-century circular cathedral on…
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Goshavank Monastery
Goshavank Monastery (Armenian: Գոշավանք — “the Monastery of Gosh”) is a 12th–13th-century complex in the forested valley of…
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Haghartsin Monastery
Haghartsin Monastery (Armenian: Հաղարծին — “the playing eagles”) is a medieval complex built between the 10th and 13th…
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Tatev Monastery
A 9th-century clifftop monastery reached by the Wings of Tatev — the world’s longest reversible cable car (5.7 km) over the Vorotan Gorge.
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Noravank Monastery
A 13th-century monastic masterpiece in the red cliffs of Vayots Dzor — the two-story Surb Astvatsatsin Church, Momik’s carvings, and the dramatic sunset glow.
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Khor Virap Monastery
The pit where St. Gregory was imprisoned for 13 years before Armenia became the first Christian nation in 301 AD — and the best view of Mount Ararat in the country.
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Geghard Monastery
A UNESCO World Heritage site partly carved into the cliffs of the Azat Valley. Rock-cut churches, ornate khachkars, and a centuries-long link to the Holy Lance — 40 km from Yerevan.
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Garni Temple
The only standing Greco-Roman temple in Armenia, perched above the Azat Gorge near Yerevan. History, entrance fee, opening hours and how to visit from Yerevan.
