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Sanahin Monastic Complex
UNESCO World Heritage
The Sanahin monastic complex is included on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. It was founded by Armenian King Ashot III Voghormats in 966. It was a cultural center in the X-XI centuries and had a high school, and a rich library next to it. Sanahin complex consists of St. Astvatsatsin (928-944) and Amenaprkich (957-966) […]
Haghpat Monastic Complex
UNESCO World Heritage
Haghpat monastic complex in the Lori region is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. Haghpat Monastery was founded in 976. The monastery was one of the major cultural centers of medieval Armenia. XII century – XIV century The monastic complex of Haghpat was the diocesan center of the Kyurikian kingdom, the sanctuary of […]
Lori Berd (Lori Fortress)
Medieval city-fortress Lori (Lori Berd). Its Ruins are located 5 km. to the northeast of Stepanavan regional center, on the left bank of River Dzoraget. The fortress was founded by David Anhoghin approximately in 1005-the 1020s. As it was situated on the northern trade route, Lori was a big cultural and trading center in medieval […]
Akhtala Monastic Complex
The famous Akhtala fortress was built in the 10th century while maintaining Kyurik Bagratouni’s government. The fortress’s northern part is strengthened by overhanging pyramidal walls. Walls, made with huge, basalt, peglike stones, are connected to each other through firm pyramidal, three-story towers, rising from both sides of the main entrance. Inside Akhtala’s fortress, there is […]
Odzun Monastery
Just south of the built-up area of Alaverdi (Lori district), the main forks lead to Odzun, with its famous church about 100m west on the main paved village road. The church is dated stylistically to the end of the 6th c. Beside the church is an unusual 5th-6thcc. funerary monument with two sculpted pillars depicting […]
Kobayr
The Kobayr monastery belongs to a number of remarkable monastery complexes of medieval times, the history of which is closely connected with activities of famous medieval Armenian feudal houses – Kyurikid’s, Bagratid’s and others. It was one of the most important seats of the written language and cultural centers of Armenia. The monastery is situated […]
Horomayr
The monastery complex of Horomayr is a very important religious center of Armenia (it was mentioned since VIIc.). It’s located south-east of the Odzun village. The monastery consists of two monumental complexes: one situated on the Debed river on the left shore, and the other on the plateau. The main church of the first group, […]
Barzrakash St. Grigor’s monastery
Barzrakash St. Grigor’s monastery (X-XIIIcc.) is situated in the Lori district of Armenia, 2 km northeast of Dsegh village, at the shores of Saghudzor River, in the middle of the forest. The monastery has two churches, a bell tower, a chapel, and Mamikonyan’s family cemetery. St.Astvatzatzin (Holy Virgin) Catoghike church was built in 1221 by […]
St. Nicolay Church, Amrakits
The church was built in 1846 by Ukrainian Cossacks. It got its current look after the renovation in 1914. The building was damaged by the earthquake of 1988, but you can still admire the beauty of the architect. The church’s frescoes were moved to the Russian church in Gyumri, as the building has been in […]
Khuchap Monastery
Khutchap monastery is situated in the Lori district, in a thick forest at the foot of Lalvar Mountain. There used to be a village near the temple with the same name. The main church (XIIIc.) was situated on the southern side of the complex. Crosses are placed in southern and eastern side windows. The vestibule […]
The Castle of Aramyants in Aktala
Aramyants castle is Swiss-style, built in Akhtala, Lori region (19th century). It was built by well-known philanthropist Mikael Aramyants and is the only preserved castle in Armenia besides the Tairov castle in Vanadzor. On December 15, 2016, by the decision of the government, it was included in the state list of immovable historical and cultural […]
Karasnits Mankants Monastery
The Karasnits Mankants monastery is an Armenian architectural monument of 13c. It is located in the north-western part of the Dsegh village (Lori district), on the right section of the Debed canyon, in an area known as «Takhter». It consists of a church, a chapel, certain dwellings, and other secondary structures, only a few sections […]
Hnevanq
The Hnevank monastery complex (VIIc.) is situated at the east of the Kurtan village, on Dzoraget’s River on the right shore. Made from felcite, it has a cruciform vault and it is rectangular on the outside. The church was reconstructed by Smbat Orbelian in 12-13cc. In 2006 new restoration works had begun in Hnevank.
Kayanberd Fortress, Dsevanq
The Kayanberd fortress is located in the Lori district in between Haghpat and Sanahin villages, in the spot where the two canyons are joined right on the cape. It was built by the monastery archbishop Hovhannes in 1233. It was called Haghpat’s monastery of Soorb Nshan (Kayanberd and Dsevank names were given later). It was […]
Jgrashen Church
In the Lori district, to the north of Vardablur village on the shores of Dzoraget River is the Jgrashen church, dating from the VI century. The church has three entrances. The window on the southern wall is inscribed with multiple grape leaves. Outside, the walls have animal-shaped inscriptions (deer, sheep-heads). These kinds of ornaments are […]
Khorakert Monastic Complex
The monastery complex of Khorakert tower lies to the northwest of Sanahin and Haghpat, on the western slope of Mt.Lalvar, near the village Jiliza (Lori district). The once rich monastery was built in a dense forest, among age-old trees, and this influenced the distinctive architectural and artistic features of its structures. The main buildings of […]
Chakhalaberd
Chakhalaberd or Bazaberd fortress is located in the Jiliza community of the Lori region, bordering Georgia. Bazaberd can be reached by the Alaverdi-Jiliza highway (2.5 km southwest of the village). The total area of the fort is 0.52 hectares, and the middle fortress is 0.25 hectares. It was surrounded by a 10-12 m high fence […]
St. Astvatsatsin Church, Vanadzor
The former name of Vanadzor was Gharakilisa, which means a black church. According to a local legend, a Turkish pasha (whose identity is unknown) enters the city with his army, destroys it, places his troops in the churchyard to spend the night, and he spends the night in the house of the rich man of […]
Tairov’s House
Tairov’s summer house was built in 1895 and served as a summer house for the family of Armenian winemaker Vasil Tairov. The building was a subsidiary building of the “Hayastan” sanatorium during the Soviet years, but in 1999 the Primate of the Gugarats Diocese, Archbishop Sepuh Chuljyan, renovated the building with his own means and […]
Gtevank
Gtevank is located in Kurtan village of Lori region, it was built in the 6th century. Now only the foundation walls have been preserved, according to which we can understand that the church was built in a small version of the plan of St. Astvatsatsin Church, Kurtan. In the southern part of the church, there […]
St. Astvatsatsin, Kurtan
St. Astvatsatsin Church (VI century) is preserved in Kurtan village of Lori region. The church belongs to the three-aisled basilica type. To the southwest of the church, there is a two-storey bell tower. An old cemetery is preserved in the churchyard.
Tormakavanq
Tormakavank monastery or Tormak church is a 5th-century structure, located 2 km south of the village of Gyulagarak in Lori province, in the place of the old settlement called Tormakadur․ Unfortunately, there is no exact etymology of the name. The church is now ruined, only the walls are preserved. It is included in the list […]
Dorbantavanq Monastery
It is one of the original and valuable monuments of Gugark school of early medieval Armenian architecture. It is located 3 km north-east of Sverdlov village. No historical or bibliographic information has been preserved about the monument. Based on the study of architectural features and decoration details, the monument was attributed to the VI century. […]
Bgavor
Bgavor church is located in Akori village of Lori region, on the sloping of Lalvar mountain. No historical information about the monastery has been preserved, but the assumptions and architectural structure suggest that it was built in the 13th century. The decoration and ornaments of the church suggest that it belonged to the series of […]
St. Hovhannes, Ardvi
Srbanes Monastery (built-in VIII-XVII centuries), also known as St. Hovhannes or Hovhan Odznetsi Monastery, is located in the Lori region of Armenia, on the northwestern edge of Ardvi village. The monastery complex consists of two churches and a bell tower. In the territory of the monastery, there are khachkars, a square monument, and the ruins […]
The Red Curch, Ardvi
Karmir Vank (The Red Church) or Kalataryants Monastery is located in Ardvi community of the Tumanyan region. It was built in the 10th-11th centuries. Red building stone was used for the construction of the monastery, hence the name “Red Monastery”. There is a legend about the name of the monastery, it is said that the […]
St. Gevorg Church of Sverdlov
It is one of the original and valuable monuments of Gugark school of early medieval Armenian architecture. It is located 3 km north-east of Sverdlov village. No historical or bibliographic information has been preserved about the monument. Based on the study of architectural features and decoration details, the monument was attributed to the VI century. […]
St. Grigor Lusavorich, Dsegh
It is located in the center of Dsegh village, in the area of a medieval cemetery, next to Hovhannes Tumanyan’s house-museum. Surrounded by a low stone wall. It was built in the VII century. How many times has it been rebuilt? Almost nothing has been preserved from the original building. The current structure is a […]
The Holy Trinity Church, Akhtala
The Holy Trinity Monastery in Akhtala was built in the second quarter of the 13th century. Historical sources contain almost no information, only the one engraved on the khachkar inside the church has been preserved, which means “Lord God, have mercy on its builders, George and Simon”. Among the persons mentioned in the inscription, Gorge […]
Tagavoranist
The royal palace is an ancient site of 2-3 millennia, which is located in the city of Vanadzor. In the 10th century, the ancient site was the residence of Bagratunyats Ashot III Voghormats (hence the name of the ancient site “Tagavaranist”), where the king took refuge in Sanahin and while visiting the monasteries of Haghpat. […]
Sedvi St. Nshan
The Sedwu monastery complex of medieval Armenian architecture is located 3 km south of the village in the Sedwu gorge. St. Nshan was preserved from the complex. Nshan Church was built in the 13th century. It is a rectangular, single-nave hall covered with a semi-cylindrical vault, with three pairs of columns and vaulted arches. On […]
Manstev Monastery
Manstev Monastery is located 3 km northeast of Teghut village, in a forested area on the right bank of the Manstev River. Clear information about the church is not preserved, but the typical style of construction is early medieval. The monastery of Manstev has reached us in a half-ruined state, along with the fence, the […]
St. Harutyun Church
Spitak was one of the cities rich in historical and cultural monuments before the devastating 1988 earthquake. The earthquake destroyed the church, which was located in the place of the present church. The church was called St. Harutyun in honor of the resurrection of the former church. It was built in 1999-2000.
Chichkhanavank
Chichkhanavank or Svank, a medieval church is located north of Shirakamut village, Lori region. Chichkhanavank belongs to the type of small cross-domed small churches that were widespread in the early medieval church construction. This type of solid structure is one of the unique manifestations of Armenian architecture, with many layouts, and spatially differentiated solutions. Internal […]
St. Hovhannes
St. Hovhannes Chapel is located in the Spitak region of the Lori region. To reach the chapel, the pilgrims walk about 3 km. In the middle of the 13th century, on the initiative of Armenian and Yezidi generals, the body of St. Hovhannes was moved to Armenia, after which the chapel was built. The village […]
St. Astvatsatsin Church of Gogaran
Gogaran St. Astvatsatsin Church was built in the 4th century, but specialists operating in the Soviet years intentionally dated the church to the 17th century, as they did not want to be relative to the former (pagan) culture. However, as a result of the excavations, it became known that the church was built on the […]
Tshgnavor Monastery (Hermit Monastery)
Hermit Monastery dates back to the 12th century, is located 1 km north of Tsater village, Lori region. It is built of raw stones. The walls and the stone of the entrance door are decorated with Khachkars.
Zarni-Parni Cave
Zarni-Parni cave-fortress was built in the 12th century, but for a long time the road to the cave was difficult to reach. Armenian bibliographer Hovhannes Imastaser was hermiting in the cave, it was a safe place for Armenian chroniclers. The monument consists of “Zarni er/ It was Zarni”, “Parni er/ It was Parni”, “Tsak er/ […]
Uchkilisa
According to historian Yeghishe Sahakyan, medieval Armenian historians, and Georgian sources, Uchkilisa corresponds to the city of Manitsgom. The remains of three churches have been preserved, one of which is quite large, which implies that the settlement was really a city. Also, the Greek chapel of St. George is located in Shamlugh. Until the 1990s, […]
St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Margahovit
Medieval church in Margahovit village of Lori. Years ago, the temple of the Goddess Anahit from the pagan period was here. Still, after the adoption of Christianity, like all pagan temples, this temple was destroyed, and St. Gregory the Illuminator Church was built. It is a church belonging to the three-nave basilica type. The church […]
