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Zvartnots
Zvartnots Cathedral
Zvartnots Cathedral (meaning "celestial angels"), now in ruins, is a 7th-century centrally planned aisled tetraconch type Armenian cathedral built from 643-652by the order of Catholicos Nerses the Builder. The Cathedral was dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator and was built in the place, where a meeting between King Tiridates III and Gregory the Illuminator was supposed to have taken place. Zvartnots remained standing until the end of the 10th century, though historical sources are silent about the cause of its collapse. Zvartnots Cathedral is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital of Armenia. It is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century BC, with the founding of the fortress of Erebuni in 782 BC by king Argishti I at the western extreme of the Ararat plain. Yerevan is the mainadministrative, cultural, artistic and industrial center of Armenia. Yerevan is the capital of Armenia since 1918 and is the thirteenth in the history of Armenia.
Vernissage
Vernissage
Vernissage is an open-air handicrafts’ market in Yerevan which operates on Saturdays and Sundays. Here you can purchase souvenirs, hand-made crafts and paintings of Armenian artists.
Tsitsernakaberd
Tsitsernakaberd
Armenian Genocide memorial complex “Tsitsernakaberd” is Armenia's official memorial dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide in 1915. Every year on April 24 — the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day thousands of Armenians gather at the memorial to commemorate the victims of the genocide.
Tsakhkadzor
Tsaghkadzor
Tsaghkadzor (meaning “valley of flowers”) is a very popular winter health resort as well as an excellent place to visit in summer. It has a well-developed tourism infrastructure with many luxurious hotels and resorts. The fully modernized Tsakhkadzor ski resort is located on a height of 1750 meters above sea level. The ropeway lifts from the foot of the mountain (1969m above sea level) up till the mountain peak (2819m). Tsakhkadzor ski resort is considered to have highly developed training facilities for skiing and snowboarding from December to early April.
Tigranakert
Tigranakert
Tigranakert is a ruined Armenian city dating back to the Hellenistic period, named in honor of the Armenian king Tigranes the Great. It is one of several former cities in the Armenian plateau with the same name. It occupies an area of about 50 hectares.
Tatev
Tatev Monastery
Tatev Monastery is a 9th century Armenian monastery located in southeastern Armenia. In the 14th and 15th, centuries Tatev Monastery hosted one of the most important Armenian medieval universities which contributed to the education of science, religion and philosophy; reproduction of books and development of miniature painting. In October 2010, Armenia launched the world’s longest reversible aerial tramway, a 5.750 km long cable-car, which even more increases the number of visitors to this area. In 1995, the monasteries of Tatev, Tatevi Anapat and their adjacent areas of the Vorotan Valley were added to the tentative list of World Heritage Sites of UNESCO.
Stepanakert
Stepanakert
Stepanakert is the capital and the largest city of Artsakh. The city layout was designed by the prominent Armenian architect Alexander Tamanyan. One of the most well-known symbols the city is the sculpture called “Grandma and Grandpa”.
St. Mesrop Mashtots
Saint Mesrop Mashtots Cathedral
Saint Mesrop Mashtots Cathedral was built in 19th century and now it is the seat of the Aragatsotn Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.It is the place where the creator of the Armenian alphabet Saint Mesrop Mashtots was buried. The church was built between 1875 and 1879 by Catholicos Gevork IV of Armenia, replacing an old chapel built by PrinceVahanAmatouni in 443.
St. Hripsime
Saint Hripsimé Church
Saint Hripsimé Church is one of the oldest surviving churches in Armenia, built by Catholicos Sahak the Great in 395 AD that contained the remains of the martyred Saint Hripsimé to whom the church was dedicated. It is famous for its Armenian-style architecture of the classical period, which has later influenced many other Armenian churches. As the fifth century Armenian historian Agatangelos wrote, the young and beautiful Hripsimé was a Christian nun in Rome, was to be forcefully married to the Roman emperor Diocletian. She and the abbess Gayané together with other nuns left to Armenia. The pagan King of Armenia Tiridates III fell in love with Hripsimé and later Gayané. After her refusal, Hripsimé was tortured and martyred at the location of this church, while Gayané was tortured and martyred at a site where the Saint Gayané Church was built in the year 630. The remaining group of thirty-eight unnamed nuns were martyred at the location of Saint ShoghakatChirch. During the time that Hripsimé was being tortured, Gayané told her to "be of good cheer, and stand firm" in her faith. Saint Hripsimé Church is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
St. Ghazanchetsots
Saint Ghazanchetsots Church
Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Christ the Holy Savior, in Shushi, Artsakh was built between 1868 and 1887 and has a facade of white limestone. It now serves as the main cathedral and headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church's Diocese of Artsakh.
St. Gayane
Saint Gayané Church
Saint Gayané Church was built by Catholicos Ezra I in the year 630 in Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin). Despite partial renovations of the dome and some ceilings in 1652 its design has remained unchanged. Gayané was the name of an abbess who together with other nuns was martyred by king Tiridates III of Armenia in year 301. Later she was made a saint of the Armenian Apostolic Chirch. As the fifth century Armenian historian Agatangelos wrote, the young and beautiful Hripsimé was a Christian nun in Rome, was to be forcefully married to the Roman emperor Diocletian. She and the abbess Gayané together with other nuns left to Armenia. The pagan King of Armenia Tiridates III fell in love with Hripsimé and later Gayané. After her refusal, Hripsimé was tortured and martyred at the location of Saint Hripsimé Church, while Gayané was tortured and martyred at this site where the church was later built. The remaining group of thirty-eight unnamed nuns were martyred at the location of Saint ShoghakatChirch. During the time that Hripsimé was being tortured, Gayané told her to "be of good cheer, and stand firm" in her faith. Saint Gayané Church is listed as the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Shaki Waterfall
Shaki Waterfall
Shaki Waterfall is located in Syunik Province and is Armenia’s highest waterfall. On the left side of the riverVorotan’s gorge, basalt lava flows have solidified to form a ledge 18 meters high from which the waterfall cascades down.
Sevanavank
Sevanavank
Sevanavank is a monastic complex located on a peninsula of Lake Sevan. The monastery of Sevanavank was founded in 874 by Princess Mariam, the daughter of Ashot I. The monastery was strict as it was mainly intended for those monks from Etchmiadzin who had sinned. Sevanavank is one of the most visited tourism sights in Armenia.
Sevan
Lake Sevan
Lake Sevan, also called “The Pearl of Armenia”, the world’s largest mountain lake. It is situated in the central part of the Republic of Armenia at the altitude of 1,900m above sea level. Lake Sevan is also one of the largest freshwater high-altitude lakes in the world. Lake Sevan is also famous for its Sevan trout (Salmo ischchan) - an endemic species of the lake.
Selim
Selim Caravanserai
Orbelian's Caravanserai formerly known as Sulema Caravanserai and Selim Caravanserai, is a caravanserai in Vayots Dzor Province of Armenia. It was built by the order of Prince Chesar Orbelian in 1332 to accommodate travelers and their animals.
Sardarapat
Sardarapat Memorial
Sardarapat Memorial is a memorial complex dedicated to the Battle of Sardarapat that took place on May 22-26, 1918. On the 50th anniversary of the Battle, in 1968 a memorial park was laid out on the place of the battlefield. Sardarapat Memorial is a symbol of pride and survival for Armenians.
Sanahin
Sanahin Monastery
Sanahin Monastery was founded in the 10th century in the Lori Province of Armenia. The name Sanahin literally translates from Armenian as "this one is older than that one", presumably representing a claim to having an older monastery than the neighboring Haghpat Monastery. Described as a “masterpiece of religious architecture and major center of learning in the Middle Ages”, Haghpat Monastery, together with Sanahin Monastery was chosen as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1996. The monasteries at Haghpat and Sanahin were chosen as UNESCO World Heritage Sites because: The two monastic complexes represent the highest flowering of Armenian religious architecture, whose unique style developed from a blending of elements of Byzantine ecclesiastical architecture and the traditional vernacular architecture of the Caucasian region.
Saghmosavank
Saghmosavank
Saghmosavank is a 13th-century Armenian monastic complex located in the village of Saghmosavan and is situated atop the precipitous gorge carved by the Kasakh River. It is only 5km far from Hovhannavank Monastery. The main temples of the monasteries erected by Prince Vache Vachutyan - the Church of Zion in Saghmosavank (1215) and the Church of Karapet in Hovhannavank (1216-1221) belong to the same type of cross-winged domed structure with two-floor annexes in all the corners of the building. Subcupola space predominates in the interiors of both churches, which is reflected in the exterior shapes of these structures.
Patkerasrah
National Gallery of Armenia and the History Museum of Armenia
In the very center of Yerevan, on Republic Square, are located the National Gallery of Armenia and the History Museum of Armenia. The National Gallery of Armenia is the largest art museum in the Republic of Armenia. It has significant collections of Russian and Western European art, and the world's largest collection of Armenian art. The History Museum of Armenia has departments of Archaeology, Numismatics, Ethnography, Modern History and Restoration. It has a national collection of 400,000 objects. Archaeology makes up 35% of the main collection, Ethnography 8%, Numismatics 45%, and Documents 12%.
Parajanov
Sergei Parajanov Museum
Sergei Parajanov Museum is situated in a traditional Caucasian-style building and consists of two floors. With 1,400 exhibits, the museum's collection includes installations, collages, assemblages, drawings, dolls and hats. The museum also showcases unpublished screenplays, librettos and various artworks which Parajanov created while in prison. It represents Parajanov's diverse artistic and literary heritage. The museum uses art and exposition principles of Parajanov himself.
Ohanavank
Hovhannavank
Hovhannavank is a medieval monastery dedicated to John the Baptist. It is located in the village Ohanavan on the edge of the Kasakh River canyon. The monastery has rich stone decoration, and many inscriptions. The dome has an umbrella-shaped roof, which is unique to Armenian churches.
Odzun
Odzun Church
Odzun Church was constructed around the 5th-7th century in village Odzun in Lori Province of Armenia. An unusual 7th - century funerary monument with two sculpted pillars depicting biblical scenes and the Christianization of Armenia is beside the church.
Noravanq
Noravank Monastery
Noravank (meaning "New Monastery") was founded in 1205 by Bishop Hovhannes. The monastery is famous for its two-storied St. Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God) church, which grants access to the second floor by way of narrow stones jutting out from the face of building. The architect Siranes and the miniature painter and sculptor Momik worked here in the end of the 13th and early 14th century. Ruins of various civil buildings and khachkars (cross-stones) are found both inside and outside of the compound walls. In the 13th–14thcenturies the monastery became a residence of Syunik's bishops and, consequently a major religious and, later, cultural center of Armenia closely connected with many of the local seats of learning, especially with Gladzor's famed university and library.
Noratus
Noratus
Noratus was first mentioned as a settlement in the Middle Ages, when it was a much larger settlement. The bronze-age megalithic fort near the village points to the notion that Noratus is one of the most ancient continuously-inhabited settlements in Armenia. The village has a famous monastery and church dated to the 9th century, and ruins of basilica built by Prince Sahak.
Matenadaran
Matenadaran
The MesropMashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts- Matenadaran (repository of ancient manuscripts), is a research institute, museum and has one of the world’s richest collections of ancient manuscripts and books. The Matenadaran possesses of a collection of nearly 17,000 manuscripts and 30,000 other documents which cover a broadrange of subjects including historiography, geography, grammar, philosophy, medicine, art and science.
Marmashen
Marmashen Monastery
Marmashen Monastery is a 10th-century Armenian monastic complex consisting of five churches near the village of Marmashen in the Shirak Province of Armenia. There is a bridge probably of the 10th -11th century on the Akhurian nearby. Across the river, near an abandoned medieval settlement, are Bronze Age graves.
Khor Virap
Khor Virap Church
Khor Virap Church located in the Ararat plain from where is opened a fascinating view to the Mountains of Ararat - the place named in the Book of Genesis where Noah's Ark came to rest after the great flood (Genesis 8:4). “Khorvirap” means "deep pit" or "deep well". Saint Gregory the Illuminator, was initially imprisoned in a cave here for 14 years by King Tiridates III of Armenia. Saint Gregory subsequently became the king's religious mentor, and they led the proselytizing activity in the country. In the year 301, Armenia was the first country in the world to be declared a Christian nation. A chapel was initially built in 642 AD.
Khndzoresk Bridge
Khndzoresk Bridge
Khndzoresk village is located in Syunik Province of Armenia. Thanks to the efforts of Khndzoresk residents a swinging bridge was opened. The 160-meter long bridge weight 14 tons and connects the two banks of the village, the so-called old and new Khndzoresk.
Kecharis
Kecharis
Kecharis is an 11th-13th century monastery located in Tsakhkadzor ski resort town and isbeautifully visible from the ski slopes. The complex stands in picturesque surroundings among valleys of flowers and forested mountains. The main group of the complex consists of three churches, two chapels and agavit, to the west of which there is another church with its own vestry at the side of a road leading to the forest.
Karmravor
Karmravor Church
Karmravor (meaning "Reddish" because of the color of its dome) or Surp Astvatsatsin (meaning "Holy Mother of God") is located on the northeast side of the town of Ashtarak. It is a 7th-century Armenian church built by priests Gregory and Manas.
Karahunj
Karahunj
Zorats Karer, also called Karahunj, also referred among international tourists as the “Armenian Stonehenge”, is a prehistoric archaeological site near the town of Sisian in the Syunik Province of Armenia. The age of Karahunj has been estimated to be 7500 years or older (VI millennium BC). It is 3, 500 years older than England’s Stonehenge and 3, 000 years older than the Egyptian pyramids.
Jermuk
Jermuk
Jermuk is a spa town located in the mountains of Vayots Dzor, a very popular health resort with fresh air, artificial lakes, forests and mineral water pools. It has modern and well developed tourism infrastructure with hotels and health spas, sanatoriums, the ropeway and alpine sports facilities. As testify the ruins of an ancient fortress and an 8th-century basilica, the human settlement near the fountains of Jermuk has started before the 13th century.
Jdrduz
Jdrduz Canyon
The upper part of Hunot canyon, which locals call Jdrduz, is a unique place for those who love altitude, risk, extreme…. It opens an incredible view towards the canyon with river Karkar in the bottom.
Jdrduz Canyon is located not far from Shushi, Artsakh.
Hayravank
Hayravank
Hayravank is a 9th-12th century Armenian monastery, famous by numerous khachkars, along the southwest shores of Lake Sevan. The monastic complex consists of a church, chapel, and gavit. Not far there are the remains of Bronze Age and foundations of a settlement. During archaeological excavations a polished black vessel of the Early Bronze Age was discovered in the area. Weapons of metal and stone, tools, clay idols, numerous vessels, fireplaces and two tombs, all from the Iron Age were discovered in the vicinity as well.
Haghpat
Haghpat Monastery
Haghpat Monastery, also known as Haghpatavank is a medieval Armenian monastery complex. The monastery was founded by Queen Khosrovanuysh, wife of the Bagratid king Ashot III, probably in 976. Described as a “masterpiece of religious architecture and major center of learning in the Middle Ages”, Haghpat Monastery, together with Sanahin Monastery was chosen as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1996. The monasteries at Haghpat and Sanahin were chosen as UNESCO World Heritage Sites because: The two monastic complexes represent the highest flowering of Armenian religious architecture, whose unique style developed from a blending of elements of Byzantine ecclesiastical architecture and the traditional vernacular architecture of the Caucasian region.
Haghartsin
Haghartsin
Haghartsin is a 13th –century monastery located near the town of Dilijan on a mountainside in a forest. It was built between the 10th and 14th centuries, much of it under patronage of the Bagratuni Dinasty.
Gyumri
Gyumri
Gyumri is the second largest city in Armenia and the capital of Shirak Province, in the northwestern part of the country. Its name has been changed several times. It was originally founded as Kumayri,later re-founded as Alexandropol, then Leninakan, then as Gyumri.
Goshavank
Goshavank
Goshavank is a 12th or 13th century Armenian monastery in the village of Gosh. Goshavank was built in the place of an older monastery known as Nor Getik, which had been destroyed by an earthquake in 1188. Mkhitar Gosh, a statesman, scientist and author of numerous fables, parables and the first criminal code, participated in the rebuilding of the monastery. The monastery which has remained in relatively good condition also houses one of the world's finest examples of a famous khachkar known as "Aseghnagorts" (The Needle-carved).
Gndevank
Gndevank
Gndevankis a 10th-13thcentury Armenian monastery in the VayotsDzor Province of Armenia. The monastery complex is a thousand years old and in good condition. It is surrounded by fort-like walls.
Geghard
Geghard Monastery
The monastery of Geghard (meaning spear) is a medieval monastery in the Kotayk province, partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by cliffs. The main chapel was built in 1215, but the monastery complex was founded in the 4th century by Gregory the Illuminator at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave. The full name of the monastery Geghardavank, meaning "the Monastery of the Spear", originates from the spear which had wounded Jesus at the Crucifixion, brought to Armenia by Apostle Jude, called here Thaddeus, and stored amongst many other relics. Now it is displayed in the Etchmiadzin treasury. The spectacular towering cliffs surrounding the monastery are part of the AzatRiver gorge, and are included together with the monastery in the UNESCO World Heritage Site listing.
Garni
Garni Pagan Temple
Garni is a temple complex located in the Kotayk Province of Armenia, situated approximately 32km southeast from Yerevan. It is officially known as the Garni Historical and Cultural Museum Reserve, which includes the temple, a bath complex, a royal summer palace, the 7th century church of St. Sion and several other minor structures, including medieval khachkars. It was probably built in the 1stcentury AD by king Tiridates I as a temple to the sun god Mithra (known as Mihr in Armenian). After Armenia's conversion to Christianity in the early 4thcentury, it was converted into a royal summer house of Khosrovidukht, the sister of Tiridates III. Garni Pagan Temple is the only Greco-Roman colonnaded building in Armenia and the former Soviet Union, the best-known structure and symbol of pre-Christian Armenia.
Gandzasar
Gandzasar
Gandzasar monastery is a 10th–13thcentury Armenian monastery in Artsakh. "Gandzasar" means “treasure mountain or hilltop treasure” in Armenian. It was first mentioned in the 10th century. It is also considered to be a "pearl of architectural art ….and an encyclopedia of 13th-century Armenian art." The monastery holds relics believed to belong to Saint John the Baptist and his father Saint Zechariah. Gandzasar is now the seat of the Archbishop of Artsakh.
Etchmiadzin Cathedral
Etchmiadzin Cathedral
Etchmiadzin Cathedral is the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church and is considered the oldest cathedral in the world. It was the first cathedral (but not the first church) built between 301 and 303 by Armenia's patron saint Gregory the Illuminator, following the adoption of Christianity as a state religion by King Tiridates III. According to the 5th-century Armenian annals, St. Gregory had a vision of Christ descending from heaven and striking the earth with a golden hammer to show where the cathedral should be built. Hence, the patriarch gave the church and the city the new name of Etchmiadzin, which may be translated as "the place where the Only Begotten descended". The Cathedral of Etchmiadzin is listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Erebouni museum
Erebuni Museum
Erebuni Museum was opened in 1968 in the honor of the 2750th anniversary of Yerevan. The Museum is situated at the foot of the ArinBerd hill, on top of which the Urartian Fortress Erebuni has stood since 782 BC.The Museum scientifically validates finds discovered in the three famous archaeological sites of ArinBerd, Karmir Blur and Shengavit, situated in the administrative boundaries of Yerevan.
Astvatsatsin Areni
SurbAstvatsatsin of Areni Church
SurbAstvatsatsin of Areni Church (meaning the "Holy Mother of God Church") is a single-nave two-aisled domed church completed in the year 1321. Two portals lead into the structure from the south and west. According to inscriptions,miniature painter and sculptor Momik was the architect of the church and he was the author of the effigy of the Virgin Mary carved upon the tympanum in high-relief.
Askeran
Askeran fortress
Askeran fortress built in 18th century is located in the banks of river Karkar in Askeran region, Artsakh.
Ararat cognac
Yerevan Brandy Company
Yerevan Brandy Company (YBC) is the leading enterprise of Armenia for the production of world famous alcoholic beverages. Its main brand name is Ararat. Yerevan Brandy Company was founded in 1887. It reached its hey-day in 1898, when it was acquired by NikolayShustov, a well-known Russian vodka and liqueur producer. In 1900 during the International Exhibition in Paris, the brandy received the Grand-Prix and the legal right to be called ‘cognac’, not ‘brandy’, following a blind degustation. Among the famous admirers of Armenian brandy were Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie and Frank Sinatra.
Amberd
Amberd Fortress
Amberd is a 7th-century fortress located on the slopes of Mount Aragats, 2,300 meters (7,500 ft) above sea level, at the confluence of the Arkashen and Amberd rivers. The name translates to "fortress in the clouds" in Armenian. The 11th-century Vahramashen Church is located near the fortress.
Alphabet
The Monument of Armenian Alphabet
The Monument of Armenian Alphabet is situated on the eastern slope of Mount Aragats in Artashavan village. It was built in 2005 in the honor of the creation of Armenian letters in 405-406.
Erebuni Museum
Erebuni Museum
Erebuni Museum was opened in 1968 in the honor of the 2750th anniversary of Yerevan. Museum is situated at the foot of the Arin Berd hill, on top of which the Urartian Fortress Erebuni has stood since 782 BC. The Museum scientifically validates finds discovered in the three famous a chaeological sites of Arin Berd, Karmir Blur and Shengavit, situated in the administrative boundaries of Yerevan.