Haghpat & Sanahin Monasteries

1. 1
   Hotel in YerevanPick-up at your address at the chosen time09:00
2. 2
   Odzun ChurchOdzun Church is an early medieval domed basilica, usually dated to the 6th century, in the centre of a village on a plateau above the Debed Canyon. Its walls are of pinkish felsite and basalt, and an arcaded gallery once ran along three sides; the south side survives best. Christ with a book and two angels are carved on the east facade, and inside is a relief of the Virgin and Child. Nearby stands a funerary monument: two carved stelae under a double arch on a stepped base. The church is still in use and is surrounded by a cemetery with khachkars.30 min

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   © BarevTrip

   Odzun Church is an early medieval domed basilica, usually dated to the 6th century, in the centre of a village on a plateau above the Debed Canyon. Its walls are of pinkish felsite and basalt, and an arcaded gallery once ran along three sides; the south side survives best. Christ with a book and two angels are carved on the east facade, and inside is a relief of the Virgin and Child. Nearby stands a funerary monument: two carved stelae under a double arch on a stepped base. The church is still in use and is surrounded by a cemetery with khachkars.

   Free entry

3. 3
   Sanahin MonasterySanahin is a monastery built between the 10th and 13th centuries on a plateau above the Debed gorge, in the Sanahin district of Alaverdi in Lori Province. Together with nearby Haghpat, it forms a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At its core stand two 10th-century churches, Astvatsatsin and Amenaprkich, later joined by narthexes with tombstones set into the floor, the gallery of the monastery school, a library of 1063 and a bell tower. A relief on the facade of Amenaprkich shows two princes holding a model of the church, and carved khachkars stand in the courtyard and the cemetery.60 min
4. 4
   Haghpat MonasteryHaghpat is a working monastery of the Armenian Apostolic Church, built between the 10th and 13th centuries on a plateau above the Debed gorge in Lori Province. Together with nearby Sanahin, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Inside the walls stand the main church of Surb Nshan (976–991), with a relief of Smbat and Gurgen holding its model, narthexes paved with tombstones, a library and a refectory. Higher up the slope rises the bell tower of 1245, and near the church entrance you can find the carved Amenaprkich khachkar of 1273.60 min
5. 5
   Akhtala fortress-monastery on requestAkhtala is a medieval monastery set inside a fortress on a rocky promontory in the north of Lori Province. Gorges drop away on three sides of the promontory, and on the north the approach is closed off by a wall and a gate with a tower. In the early 13th century the main church, Surb Astvatsatsin, was rebuilt and painted inside with frescoes that blend Byzantine, Georgian and Armenian traditions; most of their inscriptions are in Greek and Georgian. The apse shows the enthroned Virgin and the Communion of the Apostles, and the west wall the Last Judgement.40 min
6. 6
   Hotel in YerevanReturn to the same or another address in the city≈ 19:00

Driving between stops takes about 7 h. You can change the order by telling the driver.