Khor Virap, Noravank, Tatev

Khor Virap Monastery – Fortress / The 17th century monastery-fort of Khor Virap is located in the Ararat district, in the surroundings of the Pokr Vedi village, on top of a hill. It was known as the pilgrimage place for Grigor the Еnlightener. In ancient times this is the place where the historical Artashat city was located. Up unil the monastery-fort was built, this section was used as a royal prison. Khor Virap (The Deep Pit) was where the prisoners were tossed, and which was full of poisonous snakes and insects. According to Aghatangelos and other historians, Grigor the Еnlightener(the founder of adoption of Christianity in Armenia) was tortured in Khor Virap(301 y.). In or about 642 the Catholicos Nerses III ascended to a chapel in there. The chapel with its composition and construcion principles reminds us of Zvartnots. A new chapel was built in 1662 on its ruins, which is still preserved today. The St.Astvatzatzin church was built in the 17th century and has an attached bell-tower. The Khor Virap monastery was an educational center. In the 13th century it had close to forty students.

Noravank Monastery Complex / The Noravank monastery is situated on a ledge of a deep winding gorge of a tributary of the Arpa River near the village of Amaghu, Vayots Dzor district. Noravank ensemble stands amidst the bizarre-shaped precipitous red cliffs. Built in place of an ancient monastery, it grew in the reign of Princes Orbelyan of Syunik. In the 13th-14th centuries the monastery became a residence of Syunik’s bishops and, consequently, a major religious and, later, cultural center of Armenia. Of great interest are the vestibule of St.Karapet church and the church of St.Astvatzatzin, built by Momik. The church of St.Karapet (the 9th-10th cc.), which has come down to us in ruins, is the most ancient monument of Noravank. To the north of it, there is the main temple, also dedicated to St.Karapet. Erected in 1216-1223, it belongs to the widespread cross-winged domed type with two-storey side-chapels in the corners.

Tatev Monastery / Tatev monastery is situated near the village of the same name in part of Zangezur – ancient Syunik (now Syunik district). The monastery was founded in the ninth century in place of a tabernacle well-known in ancient times. The strategically advantageous location on a cape formed by a deep river gorge with precipitous rocky slopes favored the construction of a mighty defense complex there. At one time Tatev was the political center of Syunik principality. In the 10th century it had a population of 1000 and controlled numerous villages. In the 13th century it owned 680 villages. The main church of Poghos and Petros (Peter and Paul) built in 895-906. The outward appearance of the temple is severe and laconic. Its harmonious proportions add to the impression of its considerable height. Special attention was paid to the interior decoration of the church which was the main cathedral of Syunik principality. In 930 the walls of the church were decorated with frescoes, now almost totally lost. In the main apse there was a representation of Christ sitting on a throne and surrounded with three prophets and four saints. The western wall was taken up by an enormous fresco showing the Doomsday, and northern wall, be scenes of Nativity. Grigory Church adjoins the main church on the southern side. According to chronicle, the church was built in 1295 in the place of an earlier building of 836-848. The monument “Gavazan”, erected in 904 in the yard, near the dwelling premises of the monastery, is a unique work of Armenian architectural and engineering art. This is an octahedral pillar, built of small stones; eight meters tall, it is crowned with an ornamented cornice, with an open-work khachkar towering on it. As a result of seismic tremors, and even at a mere touch of human hand, the pillar, hinge-coupled to a stylobate, tilts and then returns to the initial position. The square-shaped church of St.Astvatzatzin (Holy Virgin), dating back to the 11th century, is of a type rare in Armenian architecture. The chambers of the Father Superior, the refectory with a kitchen and storerooms, the dwelling and service premises form an almost complete circle around these structures. They were capitally rebuilt in the 17th-18th centuries. There were many secret depositories in solid rock. Tatev ensemble fits in perfectly with the mountainous landscape around it. A large church, dominating the surrounding structures and visible from afar, is the architectural and artistic center of the ensemble. The residential and service premises, arranged in a single row on the perimeter, set off the polyhedral rock foundation and seem to be an extension of it. This gives the ensemble an original and majestic appearance.

“Wings of Tatev” Aerial Tramway / Wings of Tatev is a 5.7 km (3.5 mi) cableway between Halidzor and the Tatev monastery in Armenia. It is the longest reversible aerial tramway built in only one section, and holds the record for Longest non-stop double track cable car. Construction was finished on 16 October 2010.Wings of Tatev aerial tramway is located in Syunik region, 250 km to the south of Yerevan.Total ride time from Halidzor station to Tatev monastery is about 12 minutes; a much shorter trip than the 40 minute ride along the steep serpentine road that follows the Vorotan gorge. Flying over the gorge, the aerial tramway cabin reaches its maximum height of 320 meters. When the first cabin reaches the Tatev station, the second one arrives at the Halidzor station. After the Wings are reloaded, the movement starts again in the opposite direction. Each cabin accommodates 30 passengers and one steward. The ropeway can accommodate about 240 passengers per hour. Powerful pillars divide the ropeway into four sections. The longest section is 2.7 km and affords a spectacular view of the Tatev monastic complex.