Country guide

Armenia

7 sacred sites across 5 regions.

Traditions present in Armenia

Christianity2 Pagan1

Prominent site types

Monastery2 Cathedral1 Temple1 Megalithic site1

Ararat Province

1 sites

Christianity

Khor Virap

Ararat Province, Armenia

Khor Virap is a monastery of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 39.87835, 44.57625. Attributes: built, cultural, pilgrimage. Tradition: Christianity. Associated figure: St. Gregory. Mythological context: Christian. Khor Virap (Armenian: Խոր Վիրապ, lit. deep dungeon ) is an Armenian monastery located in the Ararat Plain in Armenia, near the border with Turkey, about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of Artashat, Ararat Province, within the territory of ancient Artaxata. The monastery was host to a theological seminary and was the residence of the Armenian Catholicos. Khor Virap s notability as a monastery and pilgrimage site is attributed to the fact that Gregory the Illuminator was initially imprisoned here for 13 years by King Tiridates III of Armenia. Saint Gregory subsequently became the king s religious mentor, and they led the proselytizing activity in the country. In the year 301, Armenia was the first country in the world to be declared a Christian nation. A chapel was initially built in 642 at the site of Khor Virap by Nerses III the Builder as a mark of veneration to Saint Gregory. Over the centuries, it was repeatedly rebuilt. In 1662, the larger chapel known as the St. Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God) was built around the ruins of the old chapel, the monastery, the refectory and the cells of the monks. Regular church services are held in this church. It is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Armenia. Located in Արարատի մարզ, Հայաստան.

Armavir Province

1 sites

UNESCO

Etchmiadzin Cathedral

Vagharshapat, Armavir Province, Armenia

Etchmiadzin Cathedral is a cathedral of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 40.16186, 44.29060. Attributes: built, cultural, pilgrimage. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in Վաղարշապատ, Արմավիրի մարզ, Հայաստան.

Gegharkunik Province

1 sites

Sevanavank

Sevan, Gegharkunik Province, Armenia

Sevanavank is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 40.56400, 45.01067. Sevanavank (Armenian: Սևանավանք; meaning Sevan Monastery) is a monastic complex located on a peninsula at the northwestern shore of Lake Sevan in the Gegharkunik Province of Armenia, not far from the town of Sevan. Initially the monastery was built at the southern shore of a small island. After the artificial draining of Lake Sevan, which started in the era of Joseph Stalin, the water level fell about 20 metres, and the island transformed into a peninsula. At the southern shore of this newly created peninsula, a guesthouse of the Writers Union of Armenia was built. The eastern shore is occupied by the Armenian president s summer residence, while the monastery s still active seminary moved to newly constructed buildings at the northern shore of the peninsula. Due to easier accessibility (once it became a peninsula), good highway and railway connections with the Armenian capital Yerevan, a well-developed tourist industry in the nearby town of Sevan, and its picturesque location (although less picturesque than it was before the lake level drop), Sevanavank is one of the most visited tourism sights in Armenia. Located in Սևան, Գեղարքունիքի մարզ, Հայաստան.

Kotayk Province

2 sites

Pagan

Garni Temple

Garni, Kotayk Province, Armenia

Garni Temple is a temple of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 40.11233, 44.73031. Attributes: built, cultural, archaeological. Tradition: Pagan. Associated figure: Mihr (Mithra). Mythological context: Greco-Roman. The Garni Temple is a classical colonnaded structure in the village of Garni, in central Armenia, around 30 km (19 mi) east of Yerevan. Built in the Ionic order, it is the best-known structure and symbol of pre-Christian Armenia. It has been described as the easternmost building of the Greco-Roman world and the only largely preserved Hellenistic building in the former Soviet Union. Built in the Ionic order, it is conventionally identified as a pagan temple built by King Tiridates I in the first century AD as a temple to the sun god Mihr (Mithra). A competing hypothesis sees it as a second century tomb. It collapsed in a 1679 earthquake, but much of its fragments remained on the site. Renewed interest in the 19th century led to excavations in the early and mid-20th century. It was reconstructed in 1969–75, using the anastylosis technique. It is one of the main tourist attractions in Armenia and the central shrine of Hetanism (Armenian neopaganism). Located in Կոտայքի մարզ, Հայաստան.

UNESCOChristianity

Geghard Monastery

Goght, Kotayk Province, Armenia

Geghard Monastery is a monastery of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 40.14029, 44.81787. Attributes: built, cultural, pilgrimage. Tradition: Christianity. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in Կոտայքի մարզ, Հայաստան.

Syunik Province

2 sites

Karahundj

Syunik Province, Armenia

Karahundj is a megalithic site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 39.55173, 46.02873. Attributes: built, cultural, archaeological. Located in Սյունիքի մարզ, Հայաստան.

Ughtasar Petroglyphs, Armenia

Syunik Province, Armenia

Ughtasar Petroglyphs, Armenia is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 39.68574, 46.05252. Located in Սյունիքի մարզ, Հայաստան.