Mount Ararat
Behind the walls.
Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Emma YSU — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marcin Konsek — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marcin Konsek — CC BY-SA 4.0
A small monastery on a hill in the Ararat plain near the Turkish border, famous as the closest point in Armenia to Mount Ararat, whose snow-capped twin peaks seem to rise directly behind the monastery walls in one of the country's best-known views. The site is tied to the story of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, who by tradition was imprisoned here in a deep pit for thirteen years before being freed and baptising the king, making Armenia the first state to adopt Christianity as its official religion in the early fourth century. The present church and walls date from the seventeenth century, and visitors can climb down a narrow iron ladder into the underground pit. The hill looks out over vineyards, the green plain and Mount Ararat, which today lies inside Turkey. Entry is free. Early morning on a clear day is the best time, before clouds cover the summit. The descent into the pit is narrow and steep and not for everyone.
Behind the walls.
An iron ladder.
Vineyards.
Near Lusarat village, Ararat Province, about 45 km south of Yerevan
Early in the morning on clear days, before clouds gather around the summit.