The blue Pearl of Armenia

During this tour you will visit “The Jewel of Armenia” or the “Geghama Sea” — Lake Sevan, which is one of the largest high-mountainous freshwater lakes in the world. In the northwest part of Sevan Lake, on a narrow rocky peninsula, there stands one of the most prominent examples of medieval Armenian architecture — Sevanavank Monastery. It was founded in 874 AD by princess Mariam. The remnants of the monastery that was constructed in the 9th century include only two temples — Surb Arakelots and Surb Astvatsatsin, standing among numerous khachkars. The church buildings were constructed from black tuff, which probably gave the monastery its name Sevanavank — “the Black Monastery”.

After visiting Sevanavank we will go to Noratus, which is famous for its cemetery, the oldest part of which includes over 800 khachkars (stone crosses), carved between the 9th-17th centuries. The carvings are from each period of the art form's development, which are distilled into three main periods: 9th-10th cc, 11th-12th cc and 13th-16th cc.

The last stop will be Monastery Haravank, which dates back to the 9th-12th centuries. The three main constructions of the monastery are the church, the chapel and a gavit. The interior of the church is rather simple, but very thrilling when the sun hits the narrow windows of the church. The rays of the sun attack the interior, creating a thrilling sensation of holiness for every single visitor.