Harichavank

About this place

Harichavank is an old Armenian monastery of pink and brown stone in northwest Armenia. Churches with conical domes rise behind a pillared porch with an ornate arch, carved stone doorways open into them, and a wide plain surrounds it. Its oldest part is the church of St Gregory the Illuminator, probably from the 7th century. The monastery was renowned for its school and scriptorium and was one of the best-known monastic centres in Armenia. Excavations in 1966 showed that Harich existed in the 2nd century BC. The cathedral of the Holy Mother of God is its most prominent building today. You walk around the churches to see the domes and carved doorways, then go inside to see light falling from the dome into the stone interior. The monastery is about 3 km southeast of the town of Artik and about 24 km in a straight line southeast of Gyumri. It is a working church, so cover your shoulders and knees, women usually cover their heads, and keep quiet.