Oshakan, Saghmosavank & Hovhannavank

1. 1
   Hotel in YerevanPick-up at your address at the chosen time09:00
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   St. Mesrop Mashtots Church in OshakanThe church in the centre of the village of Oshakan stands over the grave of Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the Armenian alphabet: the crypt with his tombstone lies beneath the altar. The present building, a vaulted hall of dark stone with decorative arcades on its facades, was built in the 1870s and consecrated in 1879. In 1884 a round bell tower crowned by an eight-column rotunda, unusual in Armenian architecture, was added to the east wall. Inside, a 1964–1966 fresco celebrates the birth of Armenian writing.40 min

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   © BarevTrip

   The church in the centre of the village of Oshakan stands over the grave of Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the Armenian alphabet: the crypt with his tombstone lies beneath the altar. The present building, a vaulted hall of dark stone with decorative arcades on its facades, was built in the 1870s and consecrated in 1879. In 1884 a round bell tower crowned by an eight-column rotunda, unusual in Armenian architecture, was added to the east wall. Inside, a 1964–1966 fresco celebrates the birth of Armenian writing.

   Free entry

3. 3
   Karmravor Church, AshtarakKarmravor Church, dedicated to the Holy Mother of God, stands on a hill in Ashtarak above the Kasakh gorge. The small cross-shaped building of dressed tuff, with an octagonal drum, dates from the 7th century and has survived without significant external alterations, together with its tiled roof, where much of the tile is still old. Inside, fragments of the murals remain, among them Christ in Glory in the conch of the altar apse. Around the church, within a stone enclosure, lies an old cemetery with khachkars and the grave of the poet Gevorg Emin.30 min
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   Saghmosavank MonasterySaghmosavank, whose name means “monastery of psalms”, is a working monastery on a cliff above the Kasakh River canyon, at the edge of the village of Saghmosavan. Its main church, Surb Sion, with a tall drum beneath the dome, was built in 1215 by Prince Vache Vachutian. Attached to it are a gavit resting on four columns, the small church of Surb Astvatsatsin and a library from the mid-13th century. Khachkars and a medieval cemetery surround the complex, and the edge of the site looks out over the gorge.40 min
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   Hovhannavank MonasteryHovhannavank is a working monastery of Saint John the Baptist on the edge of the Kasakh River canyon in the village of Ohanavan. Its main church, Katoghike, was built in 1216–1221 at the expense of Prince Vache Vachutian, and in 1250 his son Kurd added a spacious gavit on its west side. An early single-nave basilica stands next to it. Above the doorway from the gavit into the church is a carving of the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, and the monastery looks out over the canyon.40 min
6. 6
   Hotel in YerevanReturn to the same or another address in the city≈ 14:00

Driving between stops takes about 2.5 h. You can change the order by telling the driver.