|  ArmeniaArmenia is a country in Western Asia, bordered by Georgia on the north, Azerbaijan on the east, Iran on the south, and Turkey on the west. Together with Georgia and Azerbaijan , Armenia is located in Transcaucasia. It lies in the territory called the Armenian Plateau. The Plateau itself is about 300,000 square kilometers of mountains, rivers, and fertile though rocky land. The two geographical features that stand out most about Armenia are the mountains and Lake Sevan. The average elevation is between 1,000 and 2,500m, with the lowest point being 500 meters. The capital Yerevan is on the large, dry Ararat plain which is about 1,500m above sea level. The highest point in the Republic is the peak of Mt. Aragats, which is 4090m high.
HistoryArmenia is one of the ancient countries in the world with great culture and history. Indeed, it is too difficult to introduce all about Armenia in brief, however we?ll try to outline the most important aspects of the country.
Armenians trace their roots back to the early part of the 1st millennium BC. The first Armenian kingdom- Urartu - was founded in the 9th century BC. For long period, Armenia was an independent nation, located primarily in the eastern regions of present-day Turkey. In the beginning of the 2nd century BC a united Armenian kingdom came into being. The state of the Artashesid reached the peak of its might during the reign of Tigran the Great II, who ruled from 95 to 55 BC. He governed a realm that extended from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. Armenia substantially expanded its boundaries. But Tigran was overwhelmed by the Romans and he was defeated by them in 55 B.C The dynasty phased out in the 1st century BC and Armenia became the part of the Roman Empire.
Trdat I became the founder of the Arshakunid dynasty in the 1st century AD. Important events took place while the dynasty was in power. Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion. The work of the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew in Armenia after Jesus' crucifixion set the stage for the official conversion of Armenia in 301 AD to Christianity. Traditionally, it was Saint Gregory the Illuminator whose prayers healed the king Trdat III. Thus the pagan king and the country became officially Christian.
The Armenian alphabet was created in the early 400's by an Armenian cleric and scholar Mesrop Mashtots. The Golden Age of Armenian literature followed it. Many literary works, including the Bible, were translated into the Armenian language at that time.
In 451 in the Battle of Avarair Armenians under Vartan Mamikonian defended their religion from the Persian. According to an eye-witness historian Yeghishe there were neither winners, nor losers in this battle.
Arabs conquered Armenia in the 600's. In 884, an independent Armenian kingdom under the reign of Bagratuny dynasty was established in the northern part of the region. Ashot I became the 1st king of the new dynasty. Having existed for 160 years, the state of Bagratunis left a visible trace in the history of Armenian people. In 1045 the state was taken by Byzantians and the last Bagratuni king Gagik II was dethroned and escorted to Byzantium.
From the second half of the 12th century Armenia yielded to devastating raids of successive foreign conquerors: The Seljuk tribes, the Mongols, the hordes of Tamerlane. Seljuk Turks conquered Armenia in the mid-1000's, but Armenians established a new state in Cilikia on the Mediterranean cost in the 11th century. It lasted for 300 years. It was a nation-state away from its homeland. The founder was Prince Rouben. The Cilician Armenian state reached its peak by the end of the 12th century during the reign of Levon II, who was proclaimed king and recognized not only by a number of European courts, but by Byzantium itself. In 1375 the kingdom ceased to exist. This last Armenian kingdom fell to Mameluke invaders in 1375.
By 1514, the Ottoman Empire had gained control of Armenia. The Ottomans ruled western Armenia until their defeat in World War I in 1918. Persians gained control of eastern Armenia in 1639 and ruled it until 1828, when it was annexed by Russia.
Armenia became a battleground between the Ottoman Empire and Russia during World War I. The Empire feared the Armenians would aid the Russians. In 1915 there was Great Genocide of Armenians. The Ottoman government deported Armenians living in western Armenia into the deserts of what is now Syria. About 1 million Armenians died from lack of water and starvation or were killed by Ottoman soldiers. Many survivors fled to Russian Armenia, where, in 1918, Armenian First Republic was set up. Conflicts resurfaced between the Armenian republic and the Ottoman Empire. Armenia's leaders reluctantly turned to Communist Russia for protection. In December 1920, eastern Armenia became a Soviet Republic. The Ottomans kept the rest of Armenia.
More than 70 years Armenia was one of the 15 Soviet Republics in the USSR. The last president of the USSR , Mikhail Gorbachev, introduced a series of measures to promote reform of the government. In 1990, non-Communists took over the control of Armenia's government. Armenia declared itself independent of the USSR in September , 1991, and Levon Ter-Petrossian was elected as first president of the republic. Armenia then joined the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Today Armenia is a thriving Republic. Its economy is growing again with tourism, information technologies, and other fields of business.
Visiting Armenia you will enjoy many historical and cultural sights, and it will leave you with unforgettable impressions of an ancient yet modern country.About Country Official name: Republic of Armenia Capital city: Yerevan Area: 29.800 sq. km (11.490 sq. miles) Language: Armenian Religion: Christian (Armenian Apostolic) Religious center: Ejmiatsin (Vagharshapat) Population: 3,0 million Ethnic composition: 96% Armenians, 4% minorities Currency: Dram (AMD) Visa required: (Armenia, Kharabagh) Climate: Continental Time: GMT +04 CLIMATE Armenia is situated in a subtropical zone, among ridges of the central part of Small Caucasus, and the fact that more than 90 percent of its territory lays at the height over 1000 meters above sea level, defines the most essential features of the climate. The climate of Armenia is characterized with great number of solar energy, the big variability of a weather mode in time and well-expressed vertical climatic zone which is created by complex mountain relieves. Distribution of heat in Armenia is strongly subordinated to a seasonal rhythm. In Ararat Valley the monthly average temperature of July is 25-27°, an absolute maximum is +42°; in January monthly average temperature is -5-7°, an absolute minimum is -30°. In the area of Lake Sevan in summer temperature is 18-20°, in winter it is - 8-12°. On the shore of Lake Arpi the absolute minimum -46° is registered. In Ararat valley frost-free period lasts for about 250 days in a year, in the area of Lake Sevan - from 150 till 200 days, in high mountains - from 30 till 50 days. On average for a year in Armenia 550 mm of precipitations drop out. The maximum is observed in the spring and in the beginning of summer, a minimum - in second half of summer and in the winter. The minimum quantity of precipitations (200-250 mm) drops out in Ararat valley. Rains in the summer frequently pass in downpours; the winter snow cover in Ararat valley is unstable because of periodic thawing weather, in the area of Lake Sevan the snow keeps rather long and its capacity reaches 100cm. A very big number of a sundial is typical for Armenia. That is why people coming to Armenia in summer become covered with beautiful sunburn. Autumn is the best season in Armenia. It is longer than spring. Soft, solar weather, brightness of landscapes, an abundance of autumn fruit gives special charm to this season. POLITICS Armenia is a republic with a presidential governing system. The president is the head of state. The first president of the Republic of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrossian, was elected on October 16, 1991. In 1998, he resigned. Then-Prime Minister Robert Kocharian became Acting President. Acting President Robert Kocharian was elected President of the Republic of Armenia in 1998 and in 2003 he was reelected. The Republic of Armenia's National Assembly (or Parliament) implements its activities through sessions, permanent and temporary committees, as well as through its deputies. The National Assembly is a single-chamber representative body. Its members are elected by a combination of single member district and proportional representation. On February 6, 1996, a Constitutional Court consisting of nine members (five appointed by Parliament and four by the President) was established. The responsibility of this court is to judge the constitutionality of the laws, Presidential decrees, and governmental resolutions. The Court also judges the constitutionality of international agreements and resolves disputes concerning the results of elections and referenda. The President appoints the Prime Minister (who is subject to a no-confidence vote by the National Assembly) and appoints the members of the Government (ministers) at the proposal of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is directly responsible to the President. He also reports to the National Assembly. The Prime Minister presides over the Cabinet. POPULATION The Republic of Armenia has a population of under 3 million due to large scale emigration after the earthquake, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Over 95% of the residents are ethnically Armenian, with Yezidis comprising the largest minority and few Russian, Greek, Assyrian villages remaining. There are more Armenians living outside of the borders of Armenia today than inside. The Armenians formed large communities throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia after the Armenian Genocide, which are still thriving today. Customs, traditions, way of life of other nations are always interesting. The history of the nation is reflected in them. The modern Armenian?s way of life has kept the certain traditional character in itself. Every new here is just a well-forgotten old. It is appreciable everywhere. We shall try to describe some details of way of life of Armenians, which are still in the base of the Armenian family. Armenians love children very much. Children of each brother are considered to be brothers and sisters, and each mother is blamed, if she loves her own children more than the children of her brother-in-law. The identical attitude to all children and grandsons is shown by old people. Housekeeping is traditionally the matter of the eldest woman in the family. In housekeeping the authority of the woman is found to be above the authority of the man. To strike a woman is considered to be a big shame. In case of husband?s insult wife can ask protection of his mother. Traditionally Armenians have special respect for old people and always take their opinion into consideration, especially if it concerns the questions of home life. Young people are very polite to the elders. If an elder person enters the house young people stand up and sit down only after the invitation of the elder person. At the presence of old people young people hesitate to talk loudly and, as a rule, do not smoke. Armenians abide by the ancient custom of hospitality. A guest in the house is always desired. In many rural families there is tradition to contain a specially intended room for the guests, furnishing it with best furniture, carpets and bed. Very interesting is the ceremony of dressing the bride. In the evening, during a prewedding feast in the house of the bride, the kavorkin (the proxy mother) together with the close relatives of the groom brings a dress and a veil for the bride. The bride dresses in the next room and then comes to the guests. Then the guests accompanied by melodies of dhol and zurna go to the house of the groom. Here the wedding goes on till the morning.CURRENCY
The Armenian national currency is the dram. Paper notes are issued in denominations of 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1.000, 5.000, 10.000, 20.000 and 50000 Dram. All new Armenian Dram banknotes have been printed on high quality 100 % cotton fibre paper. Visible and invisible fibres for reasons of security are interwoven in the paper. The government has indicated a plan to phase out of circulation all banknotes less than 500 dram (10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500), and has already introduced coins to replace the small denominations. Foreign bank notes can be exchanged at local banks and at exchange counters. There is no limitation on the amount of money exchanged. ATM machines in Yerevan function in accordance with the Plus Global Access Network, Visa, and MasterCard systems. The exchange rate in Yerevan has been quite stable and the monetary policies of the Central Bank have been acknowledged by the international community to be largely successful. Recently, the strong financial and economic results of the Armenian banking sector have led to regained confidence of population in the banking system.
Art &CultureArmenian art has been profoundly influenced by Armenian culture, Armenia's long history, ever-changing geography and unique mountainous landscape.
One of the most important periods of Armenian art was that from the ninth to the sixth centuries BC. Armenia was, at this point in history, the Kingdom of Van or Urartu. Citadels, temples, irrigation canals, carved stone seals, glass, ceramics, jewelry and arms were characteristic of Urartu's artistic endeavors. The Urartians were major producers of bronze objects. Excavation at the Urartian site of Karmir-Blur, begun in 1939 and continuing even today has resulted in the discovery of many household utensils, furniture decorations and pieces of military equipment such as helmets, arrows and shields fashioned out of bronze.
Urartian smiths were also very skilled in the use of silver and gold. Vases, medallions and amulets were fashioned from silver while gold was used to create articles of jewelry. The smiths of this time are best remembered for their skill in decorating metal with mythological and animal forms.
The intrinsic value of these metals made them prime targets for invaders who periodically looted the country. For this reason, metalwork of other periods cannot be documented as well.
In the 4th and 5th centuries AD very important events in Armenian history greatly affected the arts. As Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301-303 AD, Christian iconography came to play a very important role in Armenian art and architecture. Also, after the creation of the Armenian alphabet in 405-406 AD by Mesrop Mashtotz, the written word helped to developed the Armenian language, literature and arts. The Bible was able to be translated into Armenian, thus increasing the importance of Christianity in Armenian art. The written word also allowed for the development of the art of the illuminated manuscript. Armenian scribes began to copy and translate Christian texts onto parchment adding to them symbolic illustrations and introductory folios. These manuscripts were then used in religious services.
Churches soon became the main mode of Armenian architectural expression. The seventh century is often referred to as the "golden age of Armenian ecclesiastical architecture." A great many cathedrals and monuments with interior frescoes and stone carvings pertaining to the Biblical stories were constructed. In the 10th century, for instance, the Church of the Holy Cross was erected on Aghtamar Island with exterior sculpture and relieves of Biblical subjects and interior frescoes of the like. The Aghtamar frescoes are the only surviving example of medieval Armenian murals still including the full repertoire of motifs traditional in church interiors of the time.
Monasteries, founded in the 10th century, grew as important artistic centers. Illuminated manuscripts, a major component of Armenian art history, were created and assembled into books here. Today, the largest collection of these can be found in Yerevan's famed Matenadaran. These manuscripts came to be known for their festive grandeur, demonstrating a continuity that links Armenia's Middle Ages with her earlier periods. The twelfth to fourteenth centuries witnessed the development of manuscript illumination into the art of book illustration. Manuscripts became smaller, no longer for use in religious services. These more elaborately designed and varied works were now for private use in the libraries of monasteries and homes.
These monasteries also provided for the production of khatchkars (literally, "cross stones"), constructions unparalleled in the world of art. These carved stones were most commonly used as gravestones as well as to mark victories, foundations of villages, the completion of a church and the like. For all their diversity, the basic khatchkar design was always the same, the Cross being the central object often surrounded by elaborate ornamentation. These carvings attained artistic excellence in the ninth to eleventh centuries. They were originally created as an assertion of faith in Christ; and popular belief attributed to these monuments' powers of protection against earthquakes, droughts and the like. The study of khatchkars and illuminated manuscripts reveals the devotion of Armenian artists to ornament, almost unique in Christian culture. Khatchkars can be seen throughout Armenia even today.
In the 16th century, changes in social and political life resulted in the dramatic alteration of Armenian culture and art. At this time, Armenia lost her independence and was divided between the empires of Turkey and Persia for the next 250 years. Armenian architecture and related arts virtually disappeared during this period. Armenian monasteries, churches and schools were built only outside of Armenia. Slowly, the traditional art of manuscript illumination gave way to printing. This new method of making and copying text was first introduced in Armenia in the year 1512. It was in the year 1666 that the Bible was printed in Armenian by the cleric Father Voskan in Amsterdam.
From the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, the orientation of art turned increasingly to that of everyday life. The minor arts such as carpet and lace-making developed into well-known crafts. These arts were inspired by sculpture, architecture, and painting . The creative impulse is quite evident in the surviving examples of metalwork of earlier centuries, in the carved doors of monasteries and in the fine collections of Armenian carpets found in the museums of Yerevan. Lace adorned the homes and costumes of Armenian women. These women also donated their lacework for the adornment of church altars and the costumes of the clergy.
The best known Armenian embroidery , made in the city of Marash, is noted for its rich and cheerful colors and its satin stitch. Common in the designs of Marash embroidery are flowers and tiny animals, particularly the rooster.
The art of carpet-making has existed in Armenia since the fifth century BC. But, perhaps the most noteworthy period of Armenian rug weaving is that of the thirteenth century. The great "dragon" rugs showing indigenous designs resembling highly stylized dragons woven into a latticework of plant and animal forms were created during this period. They are among the most original and abstract creations in textiles. Early in the nineteenth century when the sultans of Turkey wanted to establish rug weaving around Constantinople, it was the Armenian master weavers whom they called upon to do so.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Kutahia (now in Turkey) became a pottery and ceramics Center. Art experts have contributed the entire output of this area to Armenian potters. This attribution is confirmed by Armenian inscriptions found on the works, the characteristic representation of saints on the pieces and the treatment of ceramic tiles both purely decorative and religious. These wares were apparently commissioned by Armenian churches and individuals and played an important part both in everyday life and as architectural decoration.
In the 19th century we see the development of new trends in art both in Armenia and in the world as a whole. With the annexation of Eastern Armenia by Christian Russia in 1828 after the Russian-Persian war, the situation changed for the better. Armenian writers and artists were seized by the liberating ideas of Romanticism and, although most of them lived outside Armenia, their works seemed to recreate their native land, the "heavenly country," towards which their gaze was always turned. As in ancient times, Armenian culture moved on in close conjunction with European and Russian cultures, and thus, Armenian art reflected the stages and stylistic trends through which European art passed.  MuseumsYerevan has rich heritage which is displayed in the different museums. During your stay we hope you will have the opportunities to visit them.  | Armenian Craft
Tel.: 575683
64 Abovyan Street, Yerevan, ArmeniaBefore leaving Abovyan Street, drop into the Armenian Craft Museum (No. 64), with its unique examples of silver and German silver jewellery, woodwork, carpets, earthenware and embossed goods. Armenia today has many skilled craftsmen, who continue and develop the traditional folk crafts, and their products have been successfully displayed in many Soviet cities, France, the USA, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Argentina, Japan, Algeria and Nigeria. The museum is open from 11:00 to 16:00 every day except Monday. Entrance is free. |  | National Art Gallery
Tel.: 580812, 561812
Hanrapetutian (Republic) Square, Yerevan, Armenia The floors above the National History Museum contain the National Picture Gallery. Start by taking the elevator to the top, then descend through the huge collection of Russian, Armenian, and European works, some of the latter copies or else spoils of WWII divided among the various Soviet republics. |  | Children's
13 Abovyan Street, Yerevan, Armenia Armenia has long been famed for its artists, sculptors and stone-carvers, and children are brought up to love art. For this reason the world?s first Children?s Picture Gallery (No. 13 on the corner of Abovyan and Sayat-Nova streets) is of interest. Over the years the gallery has developed into a true centre for developing an aesthetic sense in the rising generation. The spacious building includes exhibition halls, workshops, a concert ball and a library. There have been exhibitions of works by children from the Soviet republics, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the GDR, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia, Britain, France, the USA, Canada, India and Japan. Every year there are several one-man exhibitions of works by children aged from three to 16. By tradition, all the works exhibited remain the property of the gallery, which now has a collection of over 100,000 drawings. When the modern artist David Siqueiros visited the gallery he called it "a true festival for the children of the planet". |  | Contemporary Art
Tel.: 535661, 535359
7 Mashtots Street, Yerevan, Armenia The Museum of Modern Art occupies the ground floor of No. 7. Frequent exhibitions of works by Soviet and foreign artists are held here, always attracting many lovers of painting, drawing and sculpture. |  | Erebuni Fortress
Tel.: 573202
38 Erebuni Ave, Yerevan, Armenia The Urartian kingdom centered on Lake Van in Eastern Turkey gave Yerevan its first major impetus. The Urartians built the citadel of Erebuni, on the hill of that name in SE Yerevan. (Take Tigran Mets Blvd from Republic Square, then turn left following the trolley tracks on the major street about half a km past the train station). A substantial museum at the base of the hill formerly known as Arin Berd houses many of the finds, including a few examples of Urartu's splendid metalwork. The citadel itself was founded by Argishti I son of Menua, King of Urartu in the year 782, the first Urartian conquest on the East side of the Arax. We know this on the basis of a cuneiform inscription discovered built into the fortification wall by the gate, an inscription which reads roughly as follows: "By the greatness of the god Khaldi, Argishti son of Menua built this great fortress, named it Erebuni, to the power of Biainili and the terror of its enemies. Argishti says: the land was waste, I undertook here great works..." Armenian scientists argue that one can derive the name Yerevan from Erebuni by a series of simple phonological shifts, suggesting that modern Yerevan is the lineal descendant of this 8th c. B.C. citadel. In 1998, the Mayor of Yerevan arranged a festivity marking the 2780th birthday of Yerevan. A good time was had by all. | | | Genocide
Tel.: 390981, 391412
Tsitsernakaberd Park, Yerevan, Armenia The Genocide Memorial and Museum at Tsitsernakaberd ("Swallow Castle") sits on the site of a Iron Age fortress, all above-ground trace of which seems to have disappeared. The Museum's testimony to the 1915 destruction of the Armenian communities of Eastern Anatolia is moving, and the monument itself is austere but powerful. The riven spire symbolizes the sundering of the Eastern and Western branches of the Armenian people. The view over the Ararat valley is striking. | | | Geological
Tel.: 580663
10 Abovyan Street, Yerevan, Armenia The museum houses a display of various building materials: tufas, pumice-stones, slags, basalts, granites and marbles of the most varied shades, and the metals and minerals in which the republic abounds. There are also fossilised fauna and flora from ancient times. The largest single exhibit is the unusually big restored skeleton of a primordial elephant. The museum is open from 10:00 to 17:00 every day except Sunday and Monday. |  | National History
Tel.: 582761, 521457
Hanrapetutyan (Republic) Square, Yerevan, Armenia The State History Museum in Republic Square (formerly Lenin Square) is notable for the statues of Catherine the Great and Lenin squirreled away in a back courtyard ready for any change in the political winds. The important archaeological collection from Stone Age through Medieval periods is dark and almost unlabeled, but should not be missed. Note a Latin inscription from Ejmiatsin attesting to the presence of a Roman garrison. There are some interesting models of early modern Yerevan and other historical exhibits of interest to those comfortable in Armenian or Russian. | | | Avetik Isahakyan
Tel.: 562424
20 Zarubyan Street, Yerevan, Armenia Avetik Isahakian was one of Soviet Armenia's foremost poets. The last 5 years of his life he spent in Yerevan in a house which was converted into a museum in 1963. The museum consists of Avetik's workroom, bedroom, garden, and drawing-room, as well as a number of exhibition halls which focus on different periods of his life. | | | Aram Khachaturian
Tel.: 589418, 580178
empty3 Zarubyan Street, (off Baghramyan St.) Yerevan, Armenia The Aram Khachaturian museum is located off of Baghramian, two minutes walking distance from Moscovian. The building has 5 high arches and houses a very complete collection of memorabilia from the course of Khachaturian's illustrious career. Posters, costumes, notes and more fill room after room. You will also see where he lived, and can listen to many of his works in a well equipped listening room full of CD's. |  | Manougian
Echmiadzin Cathedral Compound, Echmiadzin This museum houses an impressive collection of primarily non-secular art as well as a very colorful sampling of the gifts Katholicos Vasgen received from around the world during his leadership. The historical crowns and staffs of gold and gems, the highly decorated priests garbs, the rugs, the ceramics, and many other items are displayed in this large museum, just past the arch across from the main cathedral's entrance. |  | Matenadaran
Tel.: 583292
53 Mashtots Street, Yerevan, Armenia The Matenadaran (manuscript library) is the other world-class museum in Yerevan, not for its exhibitions per se, but rather for its status as the eternal (one hopes) repository for Armenia's medieval written culture. A vast gray basalt mass at the top of Mashtots Blvd. (built 1945-57, architect M. Grigorian), the Matenadaran is guarded by the statue of primordial alphabet-giver S. Mashtots (ca. 400) and those of the other main figures of Armenian literature: Movses Khorenatsi (5th -- or maybe 8th -- century "father of Armenian history"); T'oros Roslin (13th c. manuscript illuminator in Hromkla/Rum Qalat near Edessa); Grigor Tatevatsi (theologian of Tatev Monastery, died 1409); Anania Shirakatsi (7th c. mathematician, studied in Trebizond, fixed the Armenian calendar); Mkhitar Gosh (died 1213, cleric and law codifier); and Frik (ca. 1230-1310, poet). There are khachkars and other ancient carved stones in the side porticos. The entry hall has a mosaic of the Battle of Avarayr, and the central stair frescos of Armenian history, all by H. Khachatrian. English-speaking guides are usually on deck. Beside the exhibit hall (and a small gift shop with excellent hand-painted reproductions of important manuscript miniatures), there are conservation rooms and shelf on shelf of storage (closed except to specialists with advance permission) for the 17000 manuscripts in a dozen languages. Cut deep in the hillside behind, and shielded by double steel blast doors, is a splendid marble tomb designed to preserve the collection against nuclear holocaust. Alas, the execution did not live up to the grandiosity of the conception -- water from a series of underground springs drips through the vaults, making them unusable until a few million dollars are found for a total reworking. |  | Middle East
Tel.: 563714
1 Aram Street, Yerevan, Armenia Accessible from the street running behind the State History Museum is the Middle Eastern Museum and Museum of Literature. The former has an interesting collection, including a carpet-weaving display. |  | Migoyan Brothers
Sanahin Town, Lori Region Sanahin was the birthplace of Artashes Mikoyants, better known to history as Anastas Mikoyan (1895-1978). His father was a capable but illiterate carpenter at the mines. According to Mikoyan's memoirs, the village of Sanahin had only two literate men, the priest and the (sole) monk of Sanahin monastery. The village itself was impoverished, a holding of the Argutinskii family. Mikoyan was educated at the seminary in Tbilisi at the behest of the visiting Armenian bishop, joined up with Stepan Shahumian, whom he deeply admired, and was the sole survivor of the Baku Commissars, his name somehow left off the list of those to be executed. Uniquely among Bolsheviks of his generation, Anastas survived every purge and change of leadership to become Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, perhaps the most successful Armenian ever to settle in Soviet Moscow. His brother Artyom (1905-1970) was the famous aeronautical engineer, designer of the MIG fighter series. A third brother was killed in WWII. The house-museum of the Mikoyan brothers is downhill from the monastery. |  | Parajanov
Tel.: 538473
15&16 Dzoragyugh Street, (off Proshyan St.) Yerevan, Armenia The best museum in Yerevan is small and idiosyncratic, the would-be final home of famed Soviet filmmaker Sergei Parajanov (1924-1990). Though an ethnic Armenian (Parajanian), he was born in Tbilisi and spent most of his professional career in Kiev or Tbilisi. He won international fame with "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" and "The Color of Pomegranates," but his career was crippled by imprisonment (for homosexual liaisons) and denial of resources. Under perestroika, Yerevan claimed him as its own, and built him a lovely house overlooking the Hrazdan gorge in an area of ersatz "ethnographic" buildings on the site of the former Dzoragyugh village (just behind and left of the upscale restaurant "Dzoragyugh," commonly but no longer accurately known as the "Mafia Restaurant" due to a leather-clad clientele, a mysteriously reliable electrical supply during the dark nights of 1993-95, and the occasional use of firearms). Alas, Parajanov died before the house was finished, but it became a lovely museum/memorial that also hosts dinners and receptions to raise funds. Parajanov's visual imagination and subversive humor are represented in a series of compositions from broken glass and found objects. His figurines from prison-issue toilet brushes are proof that a totalitarian, materialist bureaucracy need not prevail. Look for "The Childhood of Genghis Khan" and Fellini's letter thanking him for the pair of socks. | | | Sardarapat Ethnograp
Armavir Region Bearing left before the Sardarapat battle monument, a driveway skirts the monument ridge to reach a tourist pavilion (refreshments) and the highly attractive Sardarapat museum. Director (at least of the military museum) is the head (since the untimely 1999 death of Sergei Grigorevich Badalian) of the Armenian Communist Party. The ground floor central hall contains commemorative material from the battle. Starting from the right, the lower galleries present archaeological materials from Neolithic to Medieval, and implements for various traditional handicrafts. Upstairs are exhibits of carpets and embroidery, modern Armenian decorative ceramics, and jewelry. |  | Saryan Museum
Tel.: 581762
3 Saryan Street, Yerevan, Armenia Martiros Saryan studied in the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. He was greatly influenced by Russian art, especially by such painters as Valentin Serov and Konstantin Korovin. Even Saryan?s first canvases show his penchant for bright colours, his original vision of the world around him, expressiveness and unusual composition. His cycle of works painted after trips to Turkey, Iran and Egypt first brought him renown.
In 1921, Saryan settled in Yerevan, and from then on Armenia, its countryside and people, became the main theme in his work. He is particularly famous for his landscapes, including the astonishing "Saryan?s Armenia", in which he celebrates the beauty of his land renewed. He also painted a fair number of portraits, which are remarkable for their psychological depth and philosophical approach. Saryan was also productive as a book illustrator and stage designer
The museum is open from 10:30 to 16:00 (to 15:00 on Wednesdays) every day except Thursday. | | | Alexander Spendiaryan
Tel.: 580783, 521299
21 Nalbandyan Street, Yerevan, Armenia In 1967, the second storey house-museum of Alexander Spendiaryan opened to the public on the corner of Nalbandyan and Tumanyan. A favorite musical composer and conductor, his violin, baton, piano and many other personal and professional items are on display. One display case shows the handwritten romance "Ay, vardi!" (Oh, Rose), and on his desk by the inkwell is an unfinished composition... |  | Tumanyan Museum
Tel.: 581271, 560021
40 Moscovyan Street, Yerevan, Armenia A native of the high mountain village of Lsakh (now Tumanyan), Ovanes Tumanyan (1869-1923) produced masterpieces of national poetry. His verse reflects the sorrow of the Armenian people and a burning protest against their oppressors. His epic works are particularly important in that they depict everyday life in an Armenian village. Some of his poems take historical events as their theme, and are imbued with the ideals of patriotism and the liberation struggle against the foreign invaders.
The nineteen rooms of the museum contain an interesting exhibition which describes the life and work of the poet. On the first storey there is a re-creation of the flat in which Tumanyan lived in Tbilisi for many years (he is buried there). The museum is open from 11:00 to 17:00 every day except Monday. | | | Charents
Tel.: 535594
17 Mashtots Street, Yerevan, Armenia The outstanding Soviet Armenian poet Yegishe Charents (1897-1937) lived a little further up the avenue, in No. 17 on the second floor. His flat has been made into a museum, which is visited by thousands of the poet?s admirers and visitors to the city. |
 Armenian Hotels Accommodation is an essential part of enjoying one?s holiday. The agency collaborates with the best hotels and restaurants of the country. Our tourists can be welcomed at the high-qualified hotels of the capital such as Marriott, Yerevan, Metropol, Ararat, Congress, Ani Plaza, Arma etc. Today Armenia has various hotels not only in Yerevan, but also in the regions: wonderful Hotel and Water-World Complex ?Harsnaqar? ? on the shores of Lake Sevan ? the Pearl of Armenia, Tufenkian Heritage Hotel ?Avan Marak Tsapatagh? in old Armenian national style ? virtually a museum of Armenian handicrafts, with tremendous view to the Lake, ?IsUz? and ?Berlin? Hotels in Gyumri, etc. At present accommodation in Armenia covers all grades from exclusive, luxurious hotels to charming country houses. Vernon Travel Service offers you all that hotels? location, description, which you can find in our site.
Vernon Travel Service also can offer the rest homes and sanatoriums in Armenia:
Kotayk Region:
- Tsaghkadzor resort:
- "Adigas" Rest Home
- "Nairy" Rest Home
- "Splendor" Rest Home
- Tsaghkadzor General Sport Complex
- Writers Creativity House
- "Viardo" Rest Cottages
- Hankavan resort:
- Arzni resort:
- Aghveran resort:
- "Anush" Rest Home
- "Mika" Rest Home
- "Gass" Rest Home
Vayots Dzor Region:
- Jermuk resort:
- "Ararat Mother's and Child's health spa"
Tavush Region: - Dilijan resort:
- "Dilijan Children's Sanatorium"
- "Dilijan" Sanatorium
- "Dilnet Business Promotion Centre"
 | Armenia Marriott Hotel
Tel.: 374 10 599 000
Fax: 374 10 599 001
Republic Square, Yerevan, 375010 Armenia Whether you are traveling for business, pleasure or planning a meeting Hotel Armenia focuses on what it takes to make your trip successful. Ideally located in the heart of Armenia's capital city, Hotel Armenia is a part of an architectural ensemble, which frames the Republic Square, the main city center. The hotel is within walking distance of the city's cultural and business centers, Museum of History of Armenia and National Art Gallery, House of Government, the United Nations House, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other major ministries, banks and Central Post Office. We are only 15 minutes by car from Zvartnots International Airport. Armenia Marriott Hotel invites you to enjoy the comforts of one of our 115 just newly renovated deluxe rooms. |  | Hotel Yerevan
Tel.: 374 1 58 94 00
Fax: 374 1 56 46 77, 52 82 91
14 Abovian Str., 375010, Yerevan A rich tradition of historical and architectural values captured in this hotel radiates Armenian elegance and class. Let us help you re-awaken your senses to true elegance. Whether for business or pleasure, discover a thoroughly ?rmenian treat for the experience of a lifetime. Hotel Yerevan is located in the very heart of the city, just a few hundred meters from the main square and promises to combine today's comfort and luxury with the elegance, style and nobility of the past centuries. The hotel has 104 deluxe guest rooms, 20 junior suites/suites and a presidential suite offering V.I.P. amenities. |  | Ararat Hotel
Tel.: 37410 510000
Fax: 37410 541101
7 Grigor Lusavorich, 375015, Yerevan, Armenia Ararat Hotel is located in the center of Yerevan City, right opposite the French Embassy and Gabriel Soundukian Theatre, and a nice park with cafes. It is just 10 minutes drive from the International Airport. Built in one of the renovated buildings of the Old Yerevan, the hotel combines the basic facade of the old building with some of the elements of the best contemporary architecture reflecting the spirit of Armenia. The 33 spacious rooms (planned to be 53) and suites are fully equipped to make your stay as comfortable as possible, with air-conditioning, mini-bar, satellite TV, etc. |  | HARSNAQAR HOTEL COMPLEX AND AQUAPARK
Tel.: 374-10 286272, 374-261 20450
Fax: 374-261 20065
Gegharkunik Marz, Sevan, Tsamakaberd Harsnaqar Hotel with its unique Water World is situated on the shores of mountainous Lake Sevan, in 65 km from Yerevan. Here you can feel the freshness of air and splashing of waves on the entire territory of the Complex. 30 comfortable suites and 5 cottages will take you to a heavenly world. |  | Ani Plaza Hotel
Tel.: 374 - 10 589 500, 589 700
Fax: 374 - 10 565 343
19 Sayat Nova Avenue, 375001 Yerevan, Armenia "Ani Plaza" Hotel is located in the center of Yerevan, on the intersection of Abovian and Sayat Nova streets. 10 minutes walk down Abovian Street will bring you to the Republic Square, the central Square of the city. The Ani Plaza Hotel is at your service with 147 comfortable Business and Economy rooms. Many rooms overlook the city offering a great panorama of Yerevan and Mount Ararat. |  | The Metropol Hotel
Tel.: 374 1 543701
Fax: 374 1 543702
2/2 Mashtots Ave.,Yerevan, 375015 Hotel Metropol, located at the entry of the center of Yerevan not far from the main roads and easy ride from the airport. It overlooks beautiful Hrazdan gorge and is just a stroll away from the business, shopping and cultural center of the city. The hotel has 40 uniquely large guest rooms: 15 Suites, 14 Single and 11 double deluxe rooms. |  | Avan Villa
Tel.: 374 1 520 911, 520 912
Fax: 374 1 520 913
Nork Marash, 13 St., 16 bld.,375047 Yerevan, Armenia Feel, experience,and become part of Armenian traditions at Tufenkian's Avan Villa Yerevan. Modern Yerevan is virtually at your feet at Avan Villa Yerevan. This stunning 14-room hotel is located in a quiet and residential neighborhood just 10 minutes above the bustling city center. Each room in the hotel showcases exclusive hand-made furniture made by Armenian craftsmen. All rooms have a spacious marble bathroom. The rooms have a color TV with satellite programs, telephone line and Internet connection. Room service is available. You can enjoy delicious and unusual Western and Eastern Armenian traditional cuisine in stunning Armenian medieval dining room or outdoor garden setting. |  | ARMA HOTEL
Tel.: 37410 54 60 00
Fax: 374 10 54 41 66
275 Norqi Ajginer, Yerevan, Armenia Arma Hotel, one of the modern Yerevan buildings, located on the beautiful hills welcomes you to a world of luxury, comfort and relaxation. The hotel offers probably the best view of the city and the biblical mt. Ararat. It is only 10 minutes drive from the main city center and 20 minutes from International airport. Privileged location, clean environment and resort-like surroundings make Arma Hotel a lovely place for people from different countries and continents. |  | Aviatrans
Tel.: 374 1 535332
Fax: 374 1 538428
4 Abovyan Str., Yerevan 375010, Armenia Aviatrans Hotel - is a newly built 5-storeyed hotel in the very heart of the city (3 minutes walk from the Republic Square). The Hotel focuses mainly on services for travelling businessmen, and thus can provide the best services rendered in most 4 -star European hotels. There are 41 nicely furnished rooms, which actually are double apartments. Each room is air-conditioned, and comes with the following conveniences: multi- channel, satellite color TV, radio, direct telephone, hair dryer, mini-bar and room service. |  | Bass Hotel
Tel.: 37410 222638, 261080, 262751, 221353
Fax: 37410 222638
3\1, Aigedzor st.,Yerevan, Armenia Hotel Bass situated in 5 minutes way from the centre of Yerevan and in 20 minutes from airport Zvartnots. A modern building of rosy stone contains 14 comfortable rooms. All rooms are equipped with individual air conditioning and other appliances in accordance with highest standards. From the balcony of the rooms you can enjoy a marvelous view of the biblical Mount Ararat. |  | Europe Hotel
Tel.: 37410 546060
Fax: 37410 546050
32-38 Hanrapetutyan Str. Yerevan 375010, Armenia Europe Hotel is nestled in the heart of Yerevan not far from the Republic Square. Choosing this Hotel, you will discover the charming and cozy European atmosphere for the first time in Armenia. There are 47 Superior Delux rooms, including 3 luxurious Suits in the hotel. |  | Valensia Hotel
Tel.: 37410 524000
Fax: 37410 543571
Myasnikyan 40, Yerevan 375025, Armenia Hotel Valensia situated in the picturesque corner of the city of Yerevan (25 km from the airport) is considered to be a masterpiece of luxury and comfort combined with European elegant style. Being a unique hotel of a cottage style "Valensia" reminds a small exotic town with its gorgeous cottages surrounded with green and flowers. From here you can enjoy the breathtaking panorama of Yerevan and also the amazing view of "Water world" where the water actions will entertain you and make your stay at the hotel the most enjoyable and unforgettable. |
| Tsapatagh Hotel
Tel.: 374 10 520911, 520912
Fax: 374 10 520913
Tsapatagh, Armenia Avan Marak Tsapatagh hotel complex is located in a lovely village on the eastern shore of Lake Sevan. This 34-room hotel includes eighteen duplexes, 2 suites, and 14 large rooms each with its balcony. Room furnishings include bedside tables and desks crafted from iron and local basalt, walnut cupboards and walk-in closets. Beds feature wrought-iron headboards, Sealy Crown Jewel mattresses, and Frette sheets. The spacious bathrooms made of green stone, feature shower stalls with glass enclosures. |  | AVAN DZORAGET HOTEL
Tel.: 37410 543122, 543422, 547888
Fax: 37410 547877
Dzoraget, Armenia The Avan Dzoraget Hotel is a luxury property located in Lori Province, on the main road to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. It is situated beside the rushing Debed River, in the land of wonderful mountain landscapes, ruins of medieval fortresses, and some of Armenia's most beautiful monasteries. Surrounded by spectacular rock formations, the two-floor hotel offers 34 double rooms and apartments overlooking Dzoraget village, the river, and surrounding mountains. |  | Congress Hotel
Tel.: 37410 580095
Fax: 37410 522224
Italy Str., Yerevan, Armenia Hotel Congress is located in the center of Yerevan. It has 128 rooms, 2 meeting rooms and a conference hall for 150 persons, fax, scanner, printer, ''Venice'' coffee-bar, ''Raffaello'' restaurant, fitness center with sauna and outdoor swimming pool. The rooms are air-conditioned and has Internet access, satellite TV and mini bar. |  | Hrazdan Hotel
Tel.: 374 10 535332
Fax: 374 10 538428
72 Dzorapi Str., Yerevan 375015, Armenia Hotel "Hrazdan" is located in the picturesque canyon of Hrazdan river, 10-15 minutes walk from the center of Yerevan. The hotel has 15 floors and 57 guest rooms. Part of the rooms is with a view of the canyon, others overlook the city with a splendid panoramic view of Yerevan. | | Argishti Hotel The hotel Argishti is a three-storey building, located in the center of Vanadzor Town. The interior part of the hotel has been designed with the elements of the national style and coloring. 13 comfortable rooms of the hotel have bathrooms, with all necessary components, refrigerators, color TVs, telephones and hair-driers. | | Nairi Hotel
Stepanakert, Artsakh Hotel Nairi situated in countryside, away from urban noise, disposes to resting. Availability of transport will let you reach any part of Stepanakert. Building of the hotel is constructed in modern style. Marble, scarce kinds of wood, curtains and modern furniture were used to decorate 26 comfortable rooms. All the rooms are equipped with telephones, fridges and TV-sets. |  | Lotos Hotel
Stepanakert, Artsakh Hotel Lotos is located in the center of the capital city of the Republic of Nagorni-Karabagh, Stepanakert. Hotel offers 25 nicely furnished rooms, which include single, double guestrooms and suites. It was built in 1998 in the city of Stepanakert and has all modern conveniences, comfortable rooms and nice furniture. You can relax in the restaurant, the banquet hall, the swimming pool and the summer cafe. Hotel is able to provide a high standard service for 50 persons simultaneously. All the rooms are equipped with telephones and TV-sets. | 
| Olympia Hotel
Tel.: 37410 271826, 271850
Fax: 37410 277424
56 Barbyus Str., Yerevan, Armenia Hotel Olympia is situated at the top of the Hrazdan gorge, near Kievian bridge. Built between 1999 and 2000, Hotel Olympia first opened its doors in February 2001. Hotel Olympia is a cozy and refined meeting place in the central part of Yerevan, suitable for tourists as well as businessmen. |  | Sil Hotel
Tel.: 37410 540708, 540709
Fax: 37410 545000
20 Tigran Mets Ave., Yerevan, Armenia Hotel SIL is located in the center of Yerevan at 20 Tigran Metsi Avenue, one of the oldest districts of city. This small charming hotel has 25 rooms, including 5 singles, 11 doubles, 4 suites, 4 deluxe, apartment. In addition to its spacious rooms and comfortable accommodation, various kinds of services are provided for your convenience by the hotel. |  | Shoushi Hotel
Tel.: 374 477 31357, 240351
Amirian 3, Shoushi, Nagorno Karabakh Hotel Shoushi was built in 2001 in the city of Shoushi (11 km. from Stepanakert) in the neighborhood of Ghazanchetsots church. From the cozy rooms you can enjoy the sweet view of the cathedral. The restaurant and the cafe of the hotel suggest the best food and drinks to the visitors. In summer an outdoor cafe is at your disposal. Hotel is designed with high-class furniture and provides the elements of national spirit. All the rooms are equipped with telephones and TV-sets. |  | Hotel Guestehaus Berlin
Tel.: 374312 23148, 37659
Fax: 374312 30386
Hakhtanaki Allee 25, Gyumri 377501, Armenia Guest House "Berlin" is located in the center of the City of Gyumri, former Leninakan. The Guest House was founded in 1995 as a social enterprise of the German Red Cross in Berlin the only purpose of which is to support and contribute to the development of medical care in Gyumri. There are 10 double and 1 single rooms in the hotel that meet western standards. Each room is equipped with shower and lavatory. |  | IsUz
Tel.: 37441 33399
Fax: 37441 39993
1/5 Garegin Njdeh Ave., 377515, Gyumri, Armenia The hotel with various services and comforts is located in the center of Gyumri. It has 12 western standard rooms, 8 double and 4 suites, including a tidy kitchenette, a satellite TV and mini bar. | | Erebuni Hotel
26-1 Nalbandyan Str., Yerevan, Armenia Hotel Erebuni is located in the center of Yerevan, next to the Republic Square through an arch. It has a high level of comfort and efficient service. Its two nine-storey buildings with a total of 515 single, twin and triple rooms can simultaneously accommodate 1,000 people. |  | Shirak Hotel
Tel.: 37410 569595, 529915
Fax: 37410 583593
13a Khorenatsy Str., Yerevan, Armenia We have the honor to invite You and Your guests to 14-storey ?Shirak? hotel complex, one of the well-known hotels of Armenia and Yerevan City. It was built in 1978 and is located in administrative and business center of the city in the neighborhood of the central city parks. 100 comfortable accommodations are at our guests? disposal (34 double luxurious rooms, 40 double and 26 single rooms), canteen on the second floor, cafe and night bar on the first floor. Telephone, bathroom, refrigerator and TV-set are available in each room. The guests can enjoy the sauna which is on the 14-th floor. |
ChurchesBeside these limited ancient examples and the urban architecture of the twentieth century in the Armenia Republic, Armenian architecture is essentially that of church buildings, thus a Christian architecture. Its productive history spans the period from the fourth to the seventeenth century. Though it should be noted that in modern times, especially in the diaspora, churches continued to be built and are now being erected in large numbers, scholars have not yet studied this phenomenon, leaving modern Armenian church architecture rootless and for the moment outside the art historical tradition.
A second observation arising from the idea of Armenian architecture being confined to Christian buildings is the lack of any secular construction. Were there not palaces and fortresses for the kings and catholicoi? Or bridges and caravansaries to accommodate the extensive trade that passed through the country? Did not people live in houses and were not these grouped together in cities? The answer is yes, but few examples have survived. Common dwellings were made of perishable materials, wood, mud brick, or simply dug into the ground or a hillside. The excavations of the medieval capital city of Ani made in the beginning of this century, confirm the lack of substantial dwellings that could be considered architectural monuments. Several bridges -- among them Sanahin, twelfth century, Ashtarak, seventeenth century -- and a few caravansaries have survived; they have been brought together in a book by V. M. Harutiunian. The stone foundations of important residences of the catholicos have been excavated at Zvart'nots' and Dvin. They date from the sixth and seventh centuries. An extremely large number of fortresses with their inner complex of dwellings, churches, and other buildings was constructed in Greater Armenia, the most famous being Amberd of the tenth century, and, from the twelfth to the fourteenth centuries, in Cilician Armenia, among which the best known are Sis, Lampron, Korykos, Silifke, Anavarza, and Yilankale. A large volume devoted to a general survey of Armenian fortresses was published by the Mekhitarist father M. Hovannisian; recently, Robert Edwards has devoted a detailed study to 75 Cilician Armenian fortresses (see the bibliography for full references to all works cited in this text).
Thousands of Armenian churches were built during the long history of Christianity. They varied in size from very small to large, though there were no giant structures like St. Peters in Rome or Hagia Sophia in Constantinople or the large cathedrals of Europe. Some churches were intended to stand alone, while others were parts of monasteries. A large number of types were developed, providing a great variety of exterior shapes and interior volumes. Some types are found in adjoining Christian areas, but in Armenia their plans were usually modified to conform to local conditions. A number of unique church forms were invented by Armenian architects in their pursuit of ever more efficiently built and aesthetically conceived houses of worship.
| Aghtamar
The Armenian chronicler Thovma Ardzruni competently reports the important building work accomplished by Derenik and his son Gagik, kings of Vaspurakan. He provides interesting information about the building of the harbor, church, palace and other edifices on the island of Akhtamar. Of all those buildings there remains but the church of Surp Khach (Holy Cross), erected between 915 and 921 by the outstanding architect, sculptor, and painter, Manuel, under the patronage of King Gagik Ardzruni. This is one of the finest jewels of Armenian architecture, and that is why it has received the special attention of both Armenian and foreign academics. In its design and conception of volumes and surfaces, this sanctuary is an intellectually original variation of the cruciform and central cupola'd churches of the high Middle Ages, of which the church of Surp Echmiadzin of Zoradir is a specimen discovered by Italian archeologists at Vaspurakan. It differs from them in an unprecedented richness of shapes and particularly in the number as well as variety of its mural high reliefs, which constitute an innovation in Armenian architecture.
Because if those magnificent high reliefs it is truly difficult to consider the church of Akhtamar only from the standpoint of architecture. Three bands of high reliefs cover all the walls of the church and are grouped according to the theme they represent. Side by side with religious subjects, Old and New Testament, are found numerous scenes from daily life such as hunting, work, and festivities, which are precious sources of information on the customs of the 10th century and mark the entrance of lay ideas into the realm of art. The high reliefs, representing among others the Virgin Mary, Christ, the Apostles, David and Goliath, Abraham and Isaac, Adam and Eve, King Gagik, hunting and the harvesting of grapes, are rendered with extraordinary dynamic realism; they portray authentically spiritual and ordinary life and illustrate the national character as well as human kind. All the interior walls and even the cupola are covered with beautiful frescoes, the best of which is the one painted on the high altar wall representing the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, sitting on a white ass. Because of its novel conception, its high reliefs and frescoes of rare artistic value, the church of Akhtamar deserves a particular place in the history of not only Armenian, but also world architecture. Akhtamar now lies in Turkish territory on Lake Van.
| | Ejmiatsin Cathedral Compound
Ejmiatsin is the center of the Armenian Church. It is where the Catholicos Of All Armenians lives, and the location of Ejmiatsin Cathedral. The cathedral, built in 480, is located in a walled compound with gardens and various structures. Ejmiatsin means The coming of the only-begotten because it was built were people said Jesus Himself descended from heaven to show where He wanted a church built. It is a scenic place to visit. The main church structure is pretty large, however the majority of the interior is dedicated to uses other than worship and the area you enter is much smaller than the size of the entire building. It is a traditional Armenian design with a belfry and a number of rotundas. Most of the exterior is plain until you make it around to the entrance which is intricately carved and very beautiful. You must not leave until you get into the Manougian Museum. (Entrance through the large arch across from the cathedral entrance) This structure contains numerous cool paintings, souvenirs, religious artifacts, and illuminated manuscripts so insist on seeing it. Another secret is a fire pit beneath the altar. This is where pagans worshipped fire before Christianity. It is in the small museum in the main cathedral, with the entrance to the right of the altar. There are some religious artifacts in display cases, but you usually need to ask to be shown the fire worshipping pit, at which time a small donation is hinted at. Above the door which descends into the fire pit area is the lance ("Geghard") which is said to have pierced Christ's side. The original structure was added to so much over the years that not much remains now. There was an even earlier church on the same site which was supposed to have been built when Armenia was converted to Christianity. Ejmiatsin was however the oldest church in the USSR. Make sure to wander around the gardens to get a look at the carvings and khatchkars. There is a nice gift shop by the entrance to the compound. The traffic square adjacent to the compound is ringed with very nice models of some Armenian churches throughout the country.
|  | Gayane Church Gayane church is built in the City of Echmiadzin, a short walk from the Cathedral of Echmiadzin. Built in 630 (according to a chronicle), Hripsime belongs to another architectural type worked out in the epoch of early Christianity in Armenia. This is a domed basilica with an octahedral drum resting on four internal pillars which divide the interior of the structure into three naves. A semi-circular apse with two annexes, rectangular in the plan, on its sides is fitted into the clear-cut outline of the building. The middle sections of the side naves are elevated slightly over the corner ones and roofed with vaults across the building, forming a transversal nave. The outward appearance of the structure is completed with a cross cupola emphasized on all the four facades by large gables characteristic of Gayane church, just as of similar temples in Odzun, Bagavan and other places, is the laconicism of architectural and structural shapes and their harmonious unity. In itself, the irreproachable smoothness of the stone surfaces of the arches, vaults and trompes is an artistic merit of the structure. The interior and the outward appearance of the church are distinguished by balanced composition, graceful proportions which emphasize the height of the structure. The same is true of architectural details the frames of the doors and windows, cornices and shelves livened up by carved floral ornaments. | | Geghard Monastery
Geghard is another incredible ancient Armenian monastery, partly carved out of a mountain. Though the monastery has been around since before the 4th century, the main cathedral was built in 1215. The monastery is located literally at the end of the road. From here you walk up a path which has a few vendors of souvenirs and snacks. (try the sweet "sujukh", sweet lavash and gata if you have never tasted them before). You then reach the entrance to the compound which is surrounded by high walls on three sides and the mountain on the fourth. Inside, you can enter the churches which are interconnected. There is some water in a small pond/stream in one chamber carved into the mountain, and the acoustics are great throughout. If you climb up stone stairs located on the left side of the church, you will pass some very finely carved khatchkars. From here you enter yet another chamber. This chamber, though not much to look at, had the greatest acoustics I ever saw demonstrated to me when the monk who was guiding us began to sing. His voice was beautiful to begin with, but when he began to sing in this chamber it was hard to believe a large choir was not singing praise at the top of their lungs... that it was only one man. Also in the corner of this chamber, if you look down you will see a hole that goes through which allows the lower churches interior to be seen. Outside of the monastery complex, before you enter the gates, you will notice some caves perhaps and ruins to the left of the entrance. If you are in shape, you should climb up in this area which has a bunch of little cave-rooms and is quite interesting. | | Goshavank Monastery
In the upper reaches of the Agstev river, there are Haghartsin and Goshavank, the monastery ensembles of the Dilijan district. They are situated in dense oak woods, in the gorges of small but turbulent mountain rivers. The local terrain and scenery determined the compositional peculiarities of these ensembles. Neither Haghardzin, nor Goshavank have walls, and their structures are surrounded with verdure and peasants' homes, some being a rather long distance away from the main temples of the ensembles.
Numerous religious and monumental civil buildings show that in the twelfth?thirteenth centuries the monasteries were throbbing with life. It would be appropriate here to note that Goshavank was erected in place of an older monastery, Ghetik, which had been destroyed by an earthquake in 1188. Mkhitar Gosh, a statesman, outstanding scientist and writer, an author of numerous fables and parables and of the first criminal code, took part in building the monastery, which was known as Goshavank in his honor. [Although its other name is Nor-Ghetik.]
In Goshavank Mkhitar Gosh founded a school. One of its alumni, Kirakos Gandzaketsi, an Armenian scientist, wrote ?The History of Armenia?. The architect Mkhitar the Carpenter and his disciple Ovanes also took an active part in building the monastery.
The main churches belong to the types widespread in the tenth to the thirteenth centuries ? the domed tall or the cross-winged domed building with four annexes in the corners of the central crossing. The small chapels are vaulted, with a semi-circular apse on the eastern side. The Bagratids? burial vault in Haghardzin has two isolated chapels. The only exceptions are two of Goshavanks churches ? Grigor Lusavorich, which is a small vaulted structure, and St. Hripsime chapel (1254), situated south-west of the main group ? a domed building, square in the plan, of an original composition.
The churches are decorated in accordance with the traditions of the epoch. As a rule, the door portals and windows are framed in rectangular or arched platbands some of which are profiled. The facade niches have multifoil or scalloped tops like those of the niches of Geghard?s main church. The unusual and artistically framed sun dial on the southern facade is an eye-catching decorative element.
| | Haghpat Monastery
Retracing steps across the Debed river, take the main road N, passing the Sanahin bridge, built in 1192. The bridge is elegantly decorated with stone cats. About one km after crossing back to the E side of the Debed on leaving Alaverdi Town, a cluster of large modern buildings, the transport terminal (?), marks the turn-off right to Haghpat and Tsaghkashat (149 v., till 1935 Khachidur). Take the left fork which winds up to Haghpat (448 v.), with one of Armenia?s most beautiful monasteries perched atop the rim of the gorge. This fortified monastery was founded, like Sanahin Monastery, by Queen Khosrovanush around 976. It has a S. Nshan church finished in 991 by Smbat Bagratuni and his brother Gurgen, and served as the religious headquarters of the Kyurikians. The gavit was built in 1185, with the following inscription on the N facade: ?In the year 634/AD 1185, I Mariam, daughter of King Kyurike, built with great hope this house of prayer over our tombs -- those of my paternal aunt Rousoudan, my mother Tamara, and myself, Mariam, under the superior Ter Barsegh, archbishop, who finished the construction. You who enter through its door and prostrate yourself before the cross, in your prayers remember us and our royal ancestors, who rest at the door of the holy cathedral, in Jesus Christ.? A smaller S. Grigor church was built in 1025 and rebuilt in 1211. There is a huge, self-standing gavit of the Abbot Hamazasp built in 1257, a ?grand and marvelous bell tower? of 1245, and a library built in 1262. There is a large dining hall incorporated in the defensive wall, and several other picturesque chapels and mausoleums. Haghpat was major literary center, and maintained rich feudal lands until the monastery properties were confiscated by the Russian Empire in the 19th c.
| | | Hripsime Church
Hripsime church, one of the finest works of Armenian architecture of the classical period, a variant of the concentrical domed composition, stands on a slight elevation, at the eastern edge of Echmiadzin City. This kind of composition is characteristic only of the Christian countries of the Transcaucasus. Its expressive silhouette, seen from afar, stands up sharply against the background of an emerald-green valley dominated by the snow-capped Mt. Ararat. St. Hripsime church, completed in 618, is a vivid example of a structure distinguished by the unity of layout and decoration in which the central-dome system is brought to perfection. The interior layout is subordinated to the vertical axis of the undercupola space, which makes it crystal-clear and solemnly monumental.
The plan is basically a square with the semi-circles of apses at the sides. The corners of the central crossing are premises, three-quarter in the plan, which serve as passages to the square annexes complementing the plan of the building to a rectangle stretched out from west to east. This is achieved through increasing the depth of the appropriate apses. The cupola, which covers a substantial proportion of the floor area, subordinates all the interior space of the church.
The building of the three-quarter (in the plan) passages to the annexes was made necessary by the need to distribute the weight of the cupola over more abutments which, for greater strength, are made organic parts of the massive walls. The leading constructive role of the wall, characteristic of Armenian architecture, shows most clearly here. The transition from the square base of the plan to the circumference of the cupola drum is effected through a system of complicated large stepped and small trompes which create a certain rhythm of the transition from the interior proper to the cupola crowning it. The millings intensifying the cupolas sphere make the upper part of the interior very imposing. The church interior is distinguished by its laconicism. The compositional combination of its individual elements emphasizes the integrity and concentricity of the domed edifice.
The outward appearance of the church is also clean-cut. As distinct from its predecessor - the cathedral in Avan (589?609), Hripsime church clearly reflects the inner structure in its outward monumental and, at the same time, simple image. The twin deep trapeziform niches, as high as the facades, emphasize the inner layout of the building on the outside and impart special expressiveness to it. At the same time they make the stone masonry between the apses and the annexes look lighter. By dividing the walls, the niches, crowned by thin cornices, add plasticity to the outward appearance of the building. The outside niches, which appeared in Hripsimeh Church for the first time, presently became a characteristic feature of Armenian architecture in the feudal epoch.
The sixteen-facet cupola is commensurable with the main part of the building. Its size and proportions emphasize the dominating importance of the under-cupola space in the structure?s interior. The round towers at the base of the cupola do not only strengthen its weak places structurally, but visually dovetail its multihedra! shape with the rectangular building it crowns. By emphasizing the rhythm of vertical divisions, created by the facade niches, and lightening the building?s top, the towers reveal its dimensions. The harmonious combination of individual components imparts monumentality and grandeur to Hripsimeh church which is relatively small.
The decoration of the building is extremely modest, and actually limited to the unpretentiously-shaped cornices, rosettes of concentric circles on the inner surface of the cupola. multi-petal ornaments on the smaller trompes and varied but chiefly geometrical motifs on the window edges.
St. Hripsimeh church is among outstanding works of Armenian architecture. Its type was repeatedly reproduced in other structures of the Transcaucasus. The simplicity and clarity of the concept. the laconic shapes and the interior layout had a decisive influence on the subsequent development of Armenian architecture.
Later, the church underwent certain changes; in particular, the western and southern entrance porticos were pulled down, and the side windows of the altar apse were walled up. In 1790. a two-tier bell-tower with an eight-column belfry was added to it.
As far as the church?s furnishing is concerned, of interest is the inlaid mother-of-pearl altar piece of 1741 which indicates a high level of Armenian applied art of the 18th century. The composition of the ornament, made up of framed interwoven branches with stylized leaves and various fruit and blooms, arranged around an encircled Greek cross, is most original.
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| Kars
The town of Kars is the only access point to the ruins of the ancient capital of Armenia, Ani, which is now located just inside of Turkey.
Despite the fact that there is a mosque just a stones throw away from Surb Arakelots Cathedral (visible in photo), it was recently converted into a mosque. It still needs restoration and repair however, and is covered in weeds. | | Kecharis Monastery
The architectural and artistic complex of Kecharis is situated next to Tsakhkadzor Resort (Gorge of Flowers) eight kilometers northwest of the district center Hrazdan. The monuments stand at the edge of a small site of the eastern slope of the Bambak Ridge. A healthy climate and picturesque scenery ? forested mountain slopes and blossoming valleys ? provided favorable conditions for building there a settlement in which remnants of ancient structures have survived, including a single-nave basilica of the fifth century. In the 11th century the settlement was a possession of the Princes Pakhlavuni who founded a monastery there, the construction of which continued till the middle of the 13th century. In the 121h?13th centuries Kecharis was a major religious center of Armenia which had a higher school.
The main group of the complex consists of three churches, two chapels and a vestry, to the west of which, quite a distance away, there was another church with its own vestry at the side of a road leading to the forest. There still are many tombstones around these monuments.
As distinct from similar complexes of Armenia, the main structures of Kecharis are arranged along the adjacent sides of a right angle accentuated by the main temple. Being the biggest and tallest of all the structures, it is the artistic dominant of the ensemble, and the spatial arrangement of the rest of the buildings is subordinated to it.
The main temple, the church of St. Gregory, is the monastery?s first structure erected by Grigor Magistros Pakhlavuni in 1003. Being of a domed hall type, it is one of the typical church structures of the period of developed feudalism in Armenia. The composition of the building, known by the monuments in Ptgni (the 6th century) and Harucha (the 680s) acquired individual distinctive features in Kecharis. The interior of the temple is divided by two pairs of wall-attached abutments into three parts of which the central and the biggest part is crowned by a broad cupola resting on spherical pendentives (destroyed by an earthquake in 1927). This imparts to the well-proportioned interior of the building not only integrity, but grandeur as well.
The semicircular altar apse with two-storey vestries on the sides is fitted into a rectangle. On the eastern facade, between the altar and the vestries, there are, just as in Ptgni and Harucha temples, two triangular niches with their light openings flanking the central window of the altar.
As distinct from the temple in Ptgni, the central subcupola space in Kecharis? Grigory church is more elaborate. The parts of the wall-attached abutments turned to the center of the interior are made in the shape of a bunch of half-columns and braces stretched upwards with which the slightly pointed wall arches with elevated crowns are coordinated. This gives the onlooker the impression of extra height.
The interior decoration is distinguished by the modesty of its elements. The narrow triple windows are connected by flat triple-arch archivolts. On the eastern facade such an archivolt frames triangular niches. The western and southern portals are in the shape of bunches of columns, strongly protruding from the flat wall and connected at the top by arches which are horseshoe-shaped on the southern facade. The capitals and the bases are composed of vari-sized half-toruses. sometimes with plaques also found in structures erected by Vakhram Pakhlavuni and known by the ornamentation of the cathedral in Ani built in 983?1001 by Trdat, the famous architect. The carved geometrical ornament, alternating with rosettes in places, decorates the front wall of the altar sole, the archivolts of the eastern and western facades and the cupola which, a little lower, crowns the cornice drum where it forms a frieze; this technique was widespread in the Armenian monuments of the 13th century.
The church of Surb Nshan, situated south of the church of Grigory, is a small cross-winged domed structure erected, judging by the type of the building and by architectural details, in the 11th century, probably soon after the former temple. The round drum, decorated with a six-span arcature on twin half-columns, rests, by means of spherical pendentives, on two wall-attached pylons and on the corners of the altar apse made as a bunch of semicircular columns. The window openings have profiled edges, and the only western entrance ? a strongly protruding portal with a semicircular top resting on half-columns.
The Katoghike (Cathedral) church stands south of this one, with a narrow passage dividing them. Judging by an inscription, it was built under Prince Vasak Khakhpakyan or Proshyan (in the first quarter of the i3th century) by the architect (varpet) Vetsik, in whose memory a khachkar, ornamented with highly artistic carving, was put up a little to the south of this building.
The Katoghike church belongs to the cross-winged domed type and has two-story annexes in all the four corners of the prayer hall. The entrances to the upper eastern annexes are from the side of the altar apse. Stone cantilever stairs lead to the western annexes of the first floor, which distinguishes this structure from others of the same type ? from the 1026 church in Hamberd, for instance.
The character of Katoghike church?s decoration is connected with the artistic traditions of the time when it was erected. The deep triangular niches of the eastern and southern facades are crowned with fan-shaped trompes harmonized with subtly drawn small arches, stepped braces, window framings and carved decorative spots ? rosettes of various designs and a cross on the tympan of the western facade. All this sets off the gracefulness of the building?s proportions and the severity of its interior. Accordingly, the northern and western entrance portals with arched tops are sunk into the walls rather than protrude from them, as is the case in the churches described above. The round cupola drum, destroyed by earthquake in 1927, was decorated with a 12-arch areature and appealed to the eye by its gracefulness. Mention should he made of the interior decoration, in particular of the areature of the front wall of the altar sole (platform), the carved khachkar-type crosses, the rosettes on the walls and on the spherical pendentives of the cupola where they alternate with flat arch motives.
The vestry, built in the second half of the 12th century and attached to the western facade of Grigory church, is an early structure of this type. The rectangular hall is divided into nine sections by four heavy free-standing columns. The perimetral sections are roofed with plain barrel vaults, while the central, square, section ? with an octahedral cloister vault with a lighting aperture at its top. Such type of roofing also existed in the vestries of the end of the 12th century in Nor-Ghetik and Sanahin and at the beginning of the 13th century in Teger.
The eastern corners of the interior are taken up by small two-storey annexes which first appeared in the vestry-type structures in Kecharis. Later, such annexes were built in the chapels of Nor-Ghetik, Khoranashat, Mikavank. etc.
The architectural details of the building are rather modest. The small windows are topped by profiled edges above which there are, in the middle window of the southern facade, octafoil rosettes and sun dials, widespread in Armenia and, on the western facade, jugs. As distinct from the portals of the churches, the only western entrance is built as a rectangular opening with a niche framed with bunches of small columns and an arch. In the interior, the fine geometrical ornaments on the capitals of the columns and on the cornice of the tent base immediately catch the eye.
The chapels situated between the churches of Gregory and Surb Nshan, were small rectangular ones, with an altar apse and vaulted ceilings. The chapel adjacent to the church of Gregory served as the burial vault of Grigor Magistros Pakhlavuni, which means that it was built in the early 11th century. The chapels were united by a small vaulted premise in which classes were probably conducted for the school?s students.
The church of Harutyun, standing on a forest glade, away from the main group, was built by a son of Asan in 1220. This is a small, outwardly rectangular. domed-hall church with a lofty cupola. The only entrance, with a small vestry in front of it, is from the west. As distinct from the ordinary vestries, it has a vaulted ceiling, Ike the 10th-ceutury vestries of Vahanavank and Gndevank monasteries, and is narrower than the church. A distinctive feature of the structure is that it has, on its western facade, twin openings topped with arches which rest on the wall-attached and intermediate columns. This gives the structure the appearance of an open passage. There are many graves in the church which was probably a family burial vault. |  | Khor Virap Monastery
Khor Virap is one of the most popular destinations in Armenia for a number of reasons, primarily because it is where Grigor Luisavorich (St. Gregory the Illuminator) was imprisoned for 13 years before curing King Trdat III of a disease. This caused the conversion of the king and Armenia into the first officially Christian nation in the world in the year 301. To this day you can visit the underground chamber he was imprisoned, located in the nondescript St. Gevorg Chapel apart from the main church. Be careful in this building, there are two holes which can be climbed down but are unmarked. There is one smaller chamber by the door which has some stairs and then a twist and a ladder leading to the small room. There is another hole in the main room, to the right of the altar, with a long ladder leading down into the larger cistern where Grigor Luisavorich was imprisoned. It is actually impressive in size for an underground prison cell, and due to candles and a lack of air circulation was very stuffy, much like the other smaller chamber. Even with the candles it is rather useful to have a flashlight. I blew out all of the candles to preserve some oxygen when I went down there.
This monastery rests atop a little hill in an otherwise very flat Ararat Valley. You can make it out from the highway a few kilometers away and it grows bigger as you turn off the highway and drive towards it. When you arrive you will be as close to Mt. Ararat as you can probably get in Armenia. It is huge and towers over Khor Virap on even hazy days. You can actually see the green belt along the Arax River which denotes the boundary with Turkey from the monastery and there are some military lookout posts around this area. At night there are lights visible on Mt. Ararat, these are American listening posts and Turkish bases.
The large St. Astvatsatsin church at Khor Virap was built in the 17th century and is typical in design, but with a lack of virtually any decorative carving, or elements. It is located in a fort like complex with a nice courtyard. For most Armenians this is a very important site, and is easily accessible from Yerevan for a half day trip, or even better as a stop along the way to Southern Armenia or Karabakh.
On weekends you will often see weddings, performances, snack stands, and doves being sold for release. In the summer it can be very hot here, so morning might be the best time to come. The gates are locked at night time as early as 5:30pm.
The hill of Khor Virap and those adjoining were the site of the important early Armenian capital of ancient Artashat or Artaxiasata, built by King Artashes I, founder of the Artashesid dynasty, around 180 BC. According to legend, the Carthaginian general Hannibal, who spent his twilight years in flight from a vengeful Rome, inspired the founding of the city. There are extensive excavations of residential and other structures. Well-preserved mud-brick fortifications line the N slope of the third hill from the NE. Ancient coins and potsherds can still be found. The site was destroyed by the Persian King of Kings Shapur II, and the capital was moved to Dvin by King Khosrov III (330-338). The course of the rivers has evidently changed, since ancient authors said that this spacious and well-laid-out city was located at the confluence of the Araxes and Metsamor rivers.
| | Noravank Monastery
A kilometer past Areni is the turnoff right for Noravank, across the bridge and through a narrow gorge, whose stream has sadly disappeared into a large iron pipe. At the entrance to the gorge on the right is a cluster of high but shallow and unornamented caves, called Trchuneri Karayr (Bird Cave), with Bronze Age child burials. Further inside the gorge is the Magil Cave on the left going a considerable distance into the hillside. Note huge boulder on right of the road outfitted as a picnic site. Beyond the caves, the gorge opens out and the monastery comes into view. The paved road continues up and to the left, ending in a parking lot below the monastery. A gravel road continuing up the canyon ends after a few meters amid a welter of khorovats detritus. Continuing on foot, at the iron gates for the water project one can continue straight along the left bank of the stream toward a concealed picnic site with table and fire circle (about 200 meters) or else follow a path that slopes up to the left. This latter passes below the little chapel of St. Pokas, in which is the basin of a sacred spring and, according to ?old tradition,? the site of a seep of miraculous healing oil from the saint?s buried remains. Modest votive crosses show that the shrine remains venerated. Past St. Pokas, the narrow, occasionally steep, but clear path climbs along the canyon side to a series of broad ledges with beautiful views of the cliffs.
Noravank ("New monastery") was founded by Bishop Hovhannes, Abbot of Vahanavank, who moved there in 1205. During the 13th and 14th centuries a series of princes of the Orbelian clan built churches which served as the burial site for the family. The monastery became the center of the Syunik bishopric. The nearest and grandest church is the Astvatsatsin (?Mother of God?), also called Burtelashen (?Burtel-built?) in honor of Prince Burtel Orbelian, its donor. The church, completed in 1339, is said to be the masterpiece of the talented sculptor and miniaturist Momik. In modern times the church has had a plain hipped roof, but in 1997 the drum and conical roof were rebuilt to reflect the original glory still attested by battered fragments. The ground floor (locked) contained elaborate tombs of Burtel and his family. Narrow steps projecting from the west fa?ade lead up to the entrance to the church/oratory. Note the fine relief sculpture over the doors, Christ flanked by Peter and Paul.
The second church is the S. Karapet, a cross-in square design with restored drum and dome built in 1216-1227, just N of the ruins of the original S. Karapet, destroyed in an earthquake. Forming the western antechamber is an impressive gavit of 1261, decorated with splendid khachkars and with a series of inscribed gravestones in the floor. Note the famous carvings over the outside lintel. The side chapel of S. Grigor, built in 1275, contains more Orbelian family tombs, including a splendid carved lion/human tombstone dated 1300, covering the grave of Elikum son of Prince Tarsayich Orbelian.
| | Ptghni Church
Ptghavank (in the Ptghni village of Abovyan region) is situated in the center of an archeological plot. While doing some work here there were found the remainders of dwellings, different commercial buildings, as well as ceramics and other worthy artifacts.
The Ptghavank Church is one of the most important representatives of the domed hall type of church. The exact date of foundation of the temple isn't known. The examination of historical records and the architectural form of the construction give some reason to believe it is circa VI c.
The whole dome stood on massive pylons underneath the wall. The passage from the square under the dome to the base of the octahedral drum was realized through the mediation of the tromps, the remainders of one of which remains in the NE corner of the square under the dome.
The longitudinal east-west axis of the church ends with the altar apse with side-chapels on either side. Only two bottom rows of the apse's walls remain.
The northern wall and the eastern section of the comparatively well preserved. Only the eastern facade had trianglular bays. Many wide windows lighted the entire interior of the temple. The temple had three entries - from the north, south and west. They were mounted by portals with pair pillars, the remainders of which were discovered during excavations in 1964.
In the domed halls of the arch, connecting the wall pylons with the eastern and western walls, on which leaned the cylindrical vaults, parallel to the west-east axis, at the same time presented the bearings for the walls raised above them. Together with the walls raised above the pylons they made cruciform in the top part of the building. In the center of the cross the massive drum of the dome raised. Only one underdome arch transferred from one southern wall to the northern remains.
On the facades are the casings of the windows with vegetable and animal ornaments peculiar to the early period of ancient Armenia's architecture.
The casing of the central window of the facade should be specially mentioned. In the round medallions the portraits of saints were placed, and in the center angels carried a medallion with Christ's image.
Two ornamental stones are especially interesting: their features sharply differ as by the scene being depicted and by the style of the sculpture. These stones may have been brought here from more ancient monument during construction of the temple.
On the capitals of the pylons delicate valutes were carved, combined with vine and pomegranate reliefs. On the trimmed stones of the walls remain the signatures of the workers, as it was a custom in ancient times. Under the preserved northern cornice a row of pitchers is pictured.
In 1939-1940 the temple was partly restored. In 1964 the blockage cleaning works were organized, a church attached to the southern wall in XIX c was moved away.
| | Sanahin Monastery
The architectural complexes of Sanahin and Haghpat are among the outstanding works of medieval Armenian architecture. In their artistic merits they transcend the limits of national culture.
The monasteries are situated in the north of Armenia, in the Tumanian district. Sanahin is now within the limits of Alaverdi city, and Haghpat is to the north-east of it, in the village of the same name. Standing on a high plateau, amidst low structures, they rise sharp against the background of steep forest-grown slopes of Bazum ridge. The ensembles are complemented by small churches built near them.
The exact date of the foundation of Sanahin and Haghpat is unknown. Documentary evidence and monuments of material culture suggest that these structures date back to the middle of the 10th century. The formation of Tashir-Dzoraget kingdom of the Kyurikids in 979 and the great attention paid to Sanahin and Haghpat by various rulers of Armenia and their vassals favored the construction of many religious and civil structures there. In these monasteries, especially in Sanahin, humanitarian sciences and medicine were studied, scientific treatises written and paintings, most miniatures, created.
Built in the monasteries over three centuries were more than 20 various churches and chapels, four annexes, sepulchers, bell-towers, the building of the Academy, book depositories, refectories, galleries, bridges and other monumental structures, to say nothing of numerous dwelling and service premises.
The main monastery buildings are grouped around their chief temples, forming integral architectural organisms. They are asymmetrical relative to their main axes, which lends them picturesqueness. Compactness and harmonious balancing of the complexes are achieved owing to the fact that each subsequent architect proceeded from the state of the ensemble that already existed and coordinated the shape and layout of his own buildings with it.
What Sanahin and Haghpat complexes have in common is not only the compositional features of various structures. The architectural details and decoration of the monuments, which belong to the same epoch, have much in common and are even exactly alike in some cases, which gives us ground to presume that they were created by craftsmen of the same school.
Most of the religious structures are of the cross-winged dome type and have annexes in four corners, or of the cupola hall type. The structures of the fist type are: in Haghpat, St. Grigory church (1005), which lost its dome during the reconstruction in 1211; in Sanahin. St. Hakob church (the 9th century), St. Astvatsatsin church, built some time between 928 and 944. and Amenaprkich church, completed in 966.
Standing out among these churches is Amenaprkich built by Khosrovanuish, the wife of Ashot III Bagratuni. This majestic structure with a transversally-oriented interior crowned with a huge dome in the center, has two-tier annexes. The altar apse and the dome drum were decorated with graceful arcatures which went well with the patchily ornamented window and door platbands accentuating the smooth spaces of the facades. The severe and majestic eastern facade is crowned in its gable with a monumental sculptural group of Kings Kyurike and Smbat. Chronologically, this is the first high-relief representation of human figures with a model of a church, which gives it great importance in Armenian art.
After the institution of the bishops throne in Sanahin in 979, the eastern, facade of Amenaprkich church, and the parts of the southern and northern facades adjacent to it were decorated with arcatures which enriched the outward appearance of the building. The triple and twin semi-columns with variously ornamented flat capitals and representations of fantastic creatures at the bases, imparted plasticity to the arcature and added to its artistic expressiveness. As a result of earthquakes. reconstructions and numerous repairs, the high dome was replaced by a low one. The internal abutments, reinforced by pilasters and wall arches, became heavier. The arcature of the altar apse was destroyed. The building lost some of its former grandeur. Nevertheless, its size and decoration are still quite impressive.
The most important of the cupola-hall type buildings is Nshana church in Haghpat, founded by Khosrovanuish in 976 and completed in 991. It is distinguished by its compactness and harmoniously balanced shapes crowned with a tremendous dome. In the interior, the fancy shape of the high cupola abutments, protruding to the center, is smoothly combined with high arches, resting on them and changing over from the semicircular to the pointed shape. The decoration, particularly ornamental carving, is very modest. A sculptural group of Smbat and Kyurike kings with a model of the temple in hands, a replica of that in Sanahin, is in a higher relief, which brings it closer to a three-dimensional sculpture fitted into a wall niche. This method of using sculpture also occurs in later monuments, for instance in the main temple of Harich monastery (1201).
The interiors of Astvatsatsin and Amenaprkich churches in Sanahin and Nshana in Haghpat, just as those of some other churches, were decorated with frescoes which are almost totally lost by now. The altar apse of Nshana church was decorated with frescoes twice, the last time in the second half of the 13th century. Probably the whole of the interior was covered with frescoes, of which only the representation of Paron Khurlu-bugi on the southern wall is relatively well preserved. In its stylistic features ? color tone soft multi-layer treatment of the picture, etc. the technique of portraiture and of the murals of Kobayr and Haghtala monasteries is close to that of Georgian mural painting which was highly developed in the 12th century.
The infiltration of secular themes shows n the miniatures created by the artist Markare for the Haghpat Gospel of 1211. These miniatures are interesting not only for their artistic features, such as the intense and somewhat darkish color scheme, but also for the artists new attitude to the world. The miniature "The Entry into Jerusalem" shows a fragment of the city, a rich house and its owner. The khorans are decorated with men?s figures in secular costumes of those times. Of interest are the representations of standing men in expensive costumes, one with a jar and the other with a fish on a stick, and of a ?gusan?? musician sitting in the shade of a fruit tree.
The church of Harutyun in Sanahin, dating back to the early 13th century, is interesting from the point of view of its composition. Its interior is distinguished by two identical altar apses.
Grigory chapel, of the same church is a miniature concentric domed structure of the late 10th century. Its plan is circular on the outside, and four-petal inside, with horseshoe-shaped apses which impart plasticity to the interior. A high three-step stylobate imparts a certain amount of grandeur to the small chapel. Previously the chapel was engirdled with a graceful arcature with eight arches and unusual capitals and archivolts; the triangular niches and the framings of the openings were subordinated to its rhythm. The fine ornamental carving of the door tympan is of interest.
The small churches and chapels of Haghpat and Sanahin are ordinary vaulted or domed structures differing from each other in size, details of composition and decorative features. Haghpat?s Astvatsatsin church of 1025, for instance, has quiet proportions and a low dome, while Kusanats anapat (nunnery) of the early 13th century has more dynamic proportions ? the fractional bulk and a higher octahedral cupola decorated with an arcature composed of trefoil arches.
Annex are the largest structures of Sanahin and Haghpat, interesting monuments of medieval Armenian architecture. They were intended for morning and evening services. Parishioners for whom there was no room left in the temple stood there. The annex also served as sepulchers for outstanding figures and for the aristocracy. The annex (jhamatuns) were added to churches, hut there were also jhamatuns of the same type which stood separately from the church, sometimes next to it. In this case the jhamatuns did not only discharge their regular functions as annex but also served as places of meetings and councils of secular and church notables of the appropriate principality.
The annex of Amenaprkich church in Sanahin belongs to the four-pillar type. It was built in 1181 by the architect Jhamhair at the expense of Father Superior Ovanes and the prince?s family. This is an early example of the widespread buildings of this type based on the composition of the Armenian peasant home with four internal pillars. The artistically expressive columns which harmoniously divide the interior into separate parts predominate in the strictly centric interior. The bases and capitals of the columns are decorated with carvings and relief representations of the heads of the animals, which are of symbolic significance of stylized fruit and jars. The rectangular portal of the northern entrance is emphasized by a geometrical ornament.
The vestry of Astvatsatsin church in Sanahin, erected by Prince Vache Vachutian in 1211, is of a different type. It is a three-nave hall covered with vaults and steep two-slope roofs. The arrangement of the naves emphasizes the lateral axis of the complex. The columns of the interior are similar, differing only in the shape of the bases, shafts, capitals and in their ornamentation. The grandeur and monumentality of heavy arcades, of the low arches and of the high vaults which seem to draw the walls apart give the interior an integral and expressive character. The western facade with its six high archways is extremely picturesque.
Vestries and galleries, as well as special structures, served as sepulchers for members of aristocracy. There are several such structures in Sanahin and Haghpat. They differed from each other in their architectural composition, which is evidence of the great creative ingenuity of their architects. The most ancient of them is the sepulcher of Kyurike and David Kyurikids in Sanahin which consisted of two vaulted cells, isolated from each other, one built at the end of the 10th century, and the other in the middle of the 11th century.
The sepulcher of Zakharid princes in Sanahin is more complicated, its eastern part of the end of the 10th century and the beginning of the 11th century is a basement crypt with a vault on wall arches and with chapels rising above it, of which the middle one is rectangular in the plan, and the side ones are round and double-storeyed. The latter are of a type stylistically close to St. Grigory chapel from which they differ by their miniature size and by the gracefulness of their architecture. Built in 1189, the western part is simpler ? it is a premise rectangular in the plan with an original large ornamented portal.
The bell-towers of Sanahin and Haghpat are the earliest examples of structures serving this purpose. These are tall three-floor towers with small annexes at various levels and a many-column rotund belfry on top. Sanahin?s bell-tower, built between 1211 and 1235, is of severe and laconic appearance. The bell-tower is crowned with a light rotunda, which became a characteristic feature of later separate bell-towers of Armenia. The smart western facade is singled out by a large ornamented cross of dark-red stone in a heavily shaped frame. The asymmetrically shaped windows, khachkars and carved spheres of yellow sandstone give the facade a picturesque and appealing look.
Sanahin Academy is an original work of civil architecture built in two stages at the end of the 10th century and at the beginning of the 11th century. This structure, rectangular in the plan, is roofed over numerous closely spaced arches resting on pillars attached to the church walls. The spaces between pillars are decorated with deep arched niches, presumable intended for the audience. The harmonious coordination between the heavy abutments and the arches gives the small premise a monumental appearance. Numerous and closely spaced divisions and the darkened niches make the interior look longer.
The book depositories of Haghpat and Sanahin are unique buildings illustrating the high level of development of civil architecture in the 11th?13th-century Armenia. Such buildings were erected, as a rule, away from the main churches of the monastery. They were square-shaped in plan and had a niche for keeping manuscripts in. Special attention was paid to the design of the roof which gave the book depositories a distinctive appearance.
The interior of Sanahin?s book depository, built in 1063, looks different. Its distinguishing feature is a huge octahedral tent roof resting on diagonally-arranged arches resting on intricate abutments in the middle of the walls. The facets of the tent-roof are made as overlapping bands, which makes it look like the tent-roofs of Armenian peasant homes. The wall niches and the wall-attached abutments vary in their shapes, sizes and ornamentation. Thanks to the curvilinear shape of their cross-sections, the abutments fit in snugly with the walls. The abutments are decorated with openwork and graceful carvings. Their decoration is complemented by that of the niches, the overall impression being that of a harmonious artistic whole. The composition of the interior makes Sanahin?s hook depository a unique work of medieval Armenian architecture. Its influence shows in various architectural forms of Armenia?s civil buildings.
Small structure over water springs, which are still in use, are of special interest among the monastery buildings. Their architectural composition, based on the principle of symmetry, is simple and laconic. These are vaulted premises. rectangular in the plan, with arched openings or the main, longitudinal, facade. The 1831 structure over a water spring in the yard of Sanahin monastery is a single-arched one: a village structure of this kind in Sanahin, dating back to the end of the 12th and the beginning of the 13th century, is twin-arched, and the 1258 structure in Haghpat is triple-arched, with the middle arch larger than the side ones and emphasizing the central axis of the structure. There are stone troughs stretching along the back wall of the structure for watering the village cattle, and also a water reservoir used by local residents. The vaulted composition was prompted by the climate of the country. The cool and damp air inside is a good protection against the scorching midsummer sun. The inner spaces, almost totally open in front, enrich the outer appearance of these purely utilitarian structures.
Sanahin bridge across the Debet river (1192) stands out among all the bridges found within the confines of the monasteries. This engineering structure of high artistic merits, integrity and perfect harmony is in a class by itself among the numerous bridges of the Transcaucasus. A single-span bridge, it has an original composition prompted by the local terrain: its right side is horizontal, and its left side terraces down to the bank. The parapets of the bridge are decorated with tiny spiked helmets at the edges and with the roughly hewn figures of lying wild cats in the central part.
Sanahin and Haghpat complexes are especially rich in khachkars (more than 8o of them have survived), which were intended not only as memorials. Some of them were installed to mark various events: in Sanahin, one was put up on the occasion of building a bridge in 1192, another one, of building an inn in 1205, and others are Tepagir (1011), Tsiranavor (1222), etc. In Haghpat, khachkars were built to perpetuate philanthropic activities of the persons whose names are inscribed on them (Amenaprkich, 1273). Some of the khachkars are quite sizeable. and their pedestals are high and fancy-shaped.
Most of the khachkar have the traditional shape of a cross which germinated out of a grain, with branches on its sides. In the khachkars of the 10th?11th century the framing of the cross was simpler than that of the 12th?13th century khachkars which developed new stylistic features. Ornamentation, which imparts picturesqueness to the general appearance of the khachkar and which covers the whole of the slab is mainly geometrical, consisting of stylized floral motives, squares which never repeat each other in their delineation and rosettes ? some in the forefront, other in the background, and still others sometimes in between. The lacy patterns and their intricate interweavings on Sanahin?s Grigor Tudevordi khachkar (1184) or Sarkis khachkar (1215) are truly amazing for the ultimate skill of their execution. As distinct from them, Amenaprkich khachkar in Haghpat (1273) stands out for a great number of realistically depicted human figures fitted into the unique composition of the decor. Sophisticated ornamental compositions and their very high artistic level put the khachkars of Sanahin and Haghpat among outstanding works of Armenian art.
The ensembles of Sanahin and Haghpat stand out not only for the original architecture of religious and especially civil buildings. They are also most instructive as samples of town building art which show high skill of Armenian architects. Marked by the unity and compactness of their asymmetrical layout, they had a tremendous influence on the development of medieval Armenian architecture.
| | Shoghakat Church
Shoghakat church is a later monument of Echmiadzin?s architectural complex. It was built in 1694 near Hripsime Church, on its western side, in place of an ancient structure to which it obviously owes its size and the composition of the type of the domed hall common in Armenia in the 6th? 7th centuries.
The interior of the building was distinguished by the Iaconicism of its layout and spatial arrangement which was fully perceived upon entry through the only western door. The high octohedral cupola, resting on wallside abutments, emphasizes the main and the best illuminated part of the interior. Architectural details and decoration, which are rather modest, add to the sharpness of the building?s spatial arrangement.
In it, there are no open galleries common in the 17th?18th centuries. The vaulted gallery on the western side, built simultaneously with the church, is a closed premise crowned by a six-column rotund belfry in the middle. The horizontal orientation of the gallery and the open-work architecture of the low-placed belfry create the impression of the church?s interior expanding from the entrance to the top of the cupola and make it look very tall.
The entranceway is a large arched opening in an ornamented frame. The windows and individual parts of the western facade are also ornamented. The ornament is mostly geometrical, sometimes thoroughly detailed and unusual pattern of interlaced hand frames, rosettes and khachkars. This ornamentation has much in common with similar carvings of the bell-towers of St. Hripsime Church and Echmiadzin temple, which makes the decoration of all these structures stylistically akin.
|  | Talin Cathedral
Talin is one of the oldest settlements of Aragatsotn Marz. It is mentioned even in I-II cc events, as well as in the writings of medieval Armenian historians - Stepanos Taronatsi, Mkhitar Ayrivantsi and Vardan Vardapetsi. On the territory of Talin some remainders of medieval constructions were found inadvertantly during excavations.
Katoghike church is the most important of Talin's historical-architectural monuments. The exact date of foundation is not known. From a number of existing manuscripts the oldest was dated 783, which mentioned the priest Ukhtoitur and his brother Totl, who brought water to Talin from Sarakapat field.
Being different by plan and volume-spatial foundation, it is similar to Zvartnots by architectural details (pillars, frescos, etc). This became a reason for the explorers to consider Talin's construction to be Zvartnots' contemporary and refer its construction to Nerses Kamsarakan (the constructor of Talin's small church), who lived in VII c and is known in history by the nickname "Churchbuilder".
The big temple of Talin is a unique monument of Armenian Church architecture and belongs to three-nave vaulted type of basilicas. Its prototype in the beginning of VII c is the reconstructed Dvin's St. Gregory temple, which from three-nave basilica turned into three-bayed temple. That was achieved by adding bays into the longitudinal walls, which were half-rounded from inside and polyhedral from outside. This new idea of foundation, improved in Talin's temple, became a complete, independent and the unique example of early medieval church type. In contrast to the prototype, in the scheme of the temple the mutual connection of some separate parts and symmetry of the whole picture is corrected.
The roomy, east-west rectangular praying hall's largest bay (eastern) and side (southern and northern) bays stand out marking the temple's length and width axis. The temple had five entries, one from west, and the others from north and south.
The big windows of all the walls lightened the praying hall. The outward architectural decorations of the temple are similar to the monuments of first and second half of VII c (Zvartnots, Aruch, Artik). The corners of each of the bays are decorated with a pair of pilasters, which serve as bearings for each of the border arches.
In the capitals and the arches such motives as are leaves and fruits of vine and pomegranate were used. The polyhedral drum of the dome is decorated with similar motives. The shape and the expressive means of main entrance, western wall's pair of bays and all the windows are harmonic, represent Talin's stylistic description and are dear to Armenian architectural customs of VII c. This remarkable monument was half-destroyed because of the earthquakes in 1840 and 1931. It was partly fastened in 1947 and essentially reconstructed in 1972-1976. During the work, excavations found a one-nave basilica, remainders of palace building, and pedestals. The Holy Virgin (Kamsarakans) Church is situated southeast of the big church. According to undated building inscription, the owner of Shirak and Arsharunik -Nerses Kamsarakan, built it. Lithographs date the inscription to 30's of the VII c. It belongs to simple, cruciform small type of churches, which in early medieval times appeared in various versions. The most interesting part of the architectural foundation is the square underdome space crowned with the dome leaning on polyhedral drum. Three of four rectangle wings of the square have half-rounded apses, and the western, a little stretched wing is rectangle from inside too (here open the southern and western doors). In general simple architecture beautifully stand out the western main entrance, arches of the windows and rack cornices.
The remainders of cistern's weir are situated 200-250 m to northeast from Katoghike church. From the medieval water-supply construction remains the concrete part.
Cemetery erections: These are unique examples of early medieval architecture that were erected in environs of big and small temples (now transferred to the museum of Armenian History). Being the prototype of Armenian khachkar, in IV-VII cc widely spread in Armenia this monuments consist of cube-shaped pedestal and monument put on it. The pedestal and the monument are decorated with Christian high reliefs.
| | Tatev Monastery
Tatev monastery is situated near the village of the same name in part of Zangezur - ancient Syunik. The monastery was founded in the ninth century in place of a tabernacle well-known in ancient times. The strategically advantageous location on a cape formed by a deep river gorge with precipitous rocky slopes favored the construction of a mighty defense complex there. Tatev monuments stand out for high quality of building work. At one time Tatev was the political center of Syunik principality. In the 10th century it had a population of 1,000 and controlled numerous villages. In the 13th century it owned 680 villages. The earthquake of 1931 caused considerable destruction, but the parts that survived enable us to judge about the artistic merits of the complex. The main monument is the Church of Pogos and Petros (Peter and Paul) built in 895-906. It reproduces the type of domed basilicas of the 7th century, but has new features. In the stretched out interior, the middle nave, crowned with a tremendous in the middle of the plan's cross, predominates. As distinct from the domed basilica, the church had in its western part several annexes the corners of which served as the abutments of the dome. Its eastern abutments did not yet merge with the walls of the altar apse; consequently, the cross-winged shape of its interior is not too well pronounced. These features give us grounds to regard the church as an intermediate link in the development of the cupola hall into a cross-winged, dome type of building which became widely spread in Armenia later. The outward appearance of the temple is severe and laconic. Its harmonious proportions add to the impression of its considerable height. The large dome, the low and closely-spaced arrangement of narrow windows and a high and round drum crowned with a pointed 32-fold roof immediately catch the eye.
The facades of the church, just as those of the 17th-century monuments, are smooth and free of superfluous detailing. On the eastern facade there are two deep triangular niches crowned, just like the windows, with thin ornamented edges. Four of them are decorated with representations of human faces, to which snake heads with stings sticking out are turned. Armenians believed snakes to be the protectors of their homes. The oval-shaped faces, with long locks of hair framing them and with eye sockets merely hinted at, are rather schematic. The only exception is the relief of the northern facade in which the carver tried to portray someone. According to Stepanos Orbelyan, an Armenian historian, these are the portraits of the founders of the church - Prince Ashot, his wife Shushan, Grigor Supan, the ruler of Gekharkunik, and Prince Dzagik.
Special attention was paid to the interior decoration of the church which was the main cathedral of Syunik principality. In 930 the walls of the church were decorated with frescoes, now almost totally lost, which differed from those of the Church of the Cross on Aghtamar Island. In the main apse there was a representation of Christ sitting on a throne and surrounded with three prophets and four saints. The western wall was taken up by an enormous fresco showing the Doomsday, and northern wall, be scenes of Nativity. The figures on the frescoes are monumental and shown in carious complex movements (a man rising from the coffin, a flying angel) which are emphasized by the folds of the attires. The refined color scheme of white, light-blue, yellow and dark red gave the interior a smart and solemn look. The authors of the frescoes of Pogos and Petros Church, who probably worked together with Western European painters, were connected with a school founded in Tatev at the beginning of the 10th century the students of which studied humanitarian sciences and illustrated manuscripts. The school was of great importance. Presently, similar schools were opened in various monasteries of Syunik, such as G'ndevank, Tsakhats-kar and Bgheno-Noravank. The school played an especially active role in the development of science and art in the 14th-15th centuries, under Ovnan Vorotnitsi (1315-1388) and Grigor Tatevatsi (1346-1411). The latter was not only a well-known nominalist philosopher, but a painter as well. His portrait, one of the rare portraits in Armenian book painting, can be seen in a 1449 miniature in "The Interpretation of David's Psalms". The scientist is shown among his disciples. At the end of the 13th century Tatevatsi created several miniatures for the 1297 Gospel. These miniatures are distinguished by the contrast between bright red and yellow tones and brown and blue ones selected with exquisite taste (the "Annunciation" miniature). The composition is severe and monumental. The faces are thoroughly detailed, and each bears a distinctive individuality. The fine floral and geometrical ornaments in some parts of the miniature add to the decorative value of the composition. Grigory Church adjoins the main church on the southern side. According to chronicle, the church was built in 1295 in the place of an earlier building of 836-848. Artistically, this is vaulted-hall type of building, widespread in Armenia, with a semicircular apse. Its decoration is very modest. The eastern window of the apse is shaped as two crosses and a circle above them. The entrance portal is decorated with open-work fine geometrical carved ornament typical of the 13t century.
To the west of Gregory Church there was a vaulted gallery with arched openings on the southern side, and to the west of Pogos and Petros Church, a three-tier bell-tower of the 17th century. Characteristic of it was the lightening of sections upwards, which is emphasized not only by the shape and cross-section size of the abutments, but also by the size and proportions of the arches bridging them. The ground floor is heavier than the middle one which was a transition to the light eight-column belfry with a pointed round roof. Correspondingly, the decoration of the bottom tier was higher than that of the top one.
| | Tsakhats Kar Monastery
Going E from Shatin, one follows the Yeghegis river upstream. Note that many of the village names have changed since 1988, along with the population. At the first fork beyond Shatin, signposted ?Tsakhatskar Vank 13 km?, turning left (N) on a paved road brings one to Artabuynk (726 v, until 1946 Erdapin, then Yeghegis until the recent transfer of populations, when Alayaz reclaimed the name.) Its inhabitants were brought in 1830 from Khoy region. Follow the lower road parallel to the stream until about 1 km past the village. An unmarked jeep track angles steeply down to the right, fords the stream, and climbs up. The left fork (and left again) leads (6 km NE of village) to the splendid ruined Tsakhatskar Monastery, with S. Hovhannes church of 989, S. Karapet church [cupola hall type, with a sacristy in each of the four corners] of the 10th c, and a host of other ruined buildings, decorated with splendid khachkars, on the flank of the mountain.
|  | Vorotnavank Monastery
A highly recommended route leaves Sisian to the SE following the main road through the village on the E side of the river. The road turns left uphill, and ends at a T junction just past a stop sign. Turn right at the T, and follow the road SE. Just before the village of Aghitu (335 v.), you see on the left the remains of a substantial Muslim cemetery. The village, better known as Aghudi, has a large restored 7th c. funerary monument W of the road. S of the village on a hill are remains of Berdategh ruined castle. There is also a Middle Bronze Age tomb field. From Aghitu, a fork left allegedly climbs to Noravan (482 v., founded 1928), and thence to the main Sisian-Goris highway. Staying on the main road through Aghitu, a few km beyond, take the right fork (left goes to Vaghatin, 388 v., till 1991 Azeri village of Vagudi), which soon provides a splendid view of the Vorotan gorge and Vorotnavank*. This fortified monastery sits, right of the road via a paved driveway about 8.5 km from the stop sign, on a promontory overlooking the Vorotan. The main S. Stepanos church was built in AD 1000 by Queen Shahandukht, and the adjoining S. Karapet church was built in 1007 by her son Sevada. The dome of S. Karapet collapsed in the earthquake of 1931. There are interesting carved gravestones in the cemetery. One of the churches is allegedly good for snakebite. From the monastery, the road winds down to a bridge. Staying on the N side of the river, a road goes to Vorotan (183 v.), with 9-14th c. khachkars and a bridge of 1855 built by Melik Tangi, the Brnakot notable, and thence to Shamb, with hot springs that local Peace Corps volunteers have successfully bathed in during the winter.
|  | Yeghvard
Yeghvard, one of the Armenian old settlements (now the center of Nairi region), is full of different period and type valuable architectural monuments. In the middle of Avan are situated the ruins of a one-nave church (only the bottom part of walls preserved). The scheme is a prolonged rectangle (9,1 x 23,5m) stretching towards east-west direction. One of the four entries is from West, the other three are from South.
The northern wall's lug and south-western corner's anchor witnes about the existence of a vaulted hall. The praying hall finishes with the half-rounded apse of the stage in eastern side. The wall-anchors of the arch also preserved. The three-nave basilica is situated towards south from the one-nave church, and is built from the local clearly trimmed tuff.
The huge volume of the basilica (14,1 x 27,3m) rises over ther wall- anchors. The hall divides into three naves by means of four pairs of T-shape pillars. The central nave is considerably wider than the ones on the sides. Yeghvard's basilica has a unique peculiarity, which doesn't come across in any other same type of Armenian mounuments- the side naves in the eastern side finish up with small apses looking at the hall.
The apse of the main stage of the church (not preserved) went out from the rectangle volume of the building with pentahedral outline. A one line inscription of 660 stretches on the wall. The basilica has seven entries- three in south, three in north and the main one in western side. The not very big door of the southern side stands out with beautiful decorations.
By its architecture and decoration Yeghvard's basilica belongs to the Armenia's monuments of Vc. But in VI- VIIcc (probably in Movses Yeghvardetsi's power) the basilica was restored- the original wooden roof was replaced with a tiled one, for which three strong pillars were built. The restoration is easily noticed, because the old and new pillars aren't placed correspondingly.
The Zoravar many-apsed church is situated around 2km from Yeghvard. According to the historians (661-685) it was built by Armenia's head Grigor Mamikonyan. The bottom part of the building (only the northern half preserved) is 18-naved from outside, with 8 large triangle bays, and the top part is the dome, polyhedral from outside and with cylindrical drum from inside.
In interior, between the apses arches lean on the pillars wich together with the arches of the dome carry the drum. The passage from the dome-supporting square to the dome is realized by sails. The decorations of the monument, different geometrical and animal motives, beautifully processed cornices make this not very large monument look monumental.
In the middle of Yeghvard stands the Holy Virgin church-belfry (1301). Its second floor has an almost cross-like scheme, with a stalactic finishing hole instead of an apse. Stony stairs are only on the second floor; a wooden staircase was put to get up there.
The walls of the church stand out with exceptionally richness of decorations. Yeghvard's church is one of the best similar- type monuments of Medieval Armenia and is the best-preserved one.
| | Yeritsavank Monastery
This very ancient monastery (1,500 years old) is in rather good condition considering its age. The walls are actually extremely tall, and the ground level outside has risen over time to sink the church a bit. It is located near the top of a tall, steep mountain, with stone cliffs nearby that have some shallow caves seemingly good for camping. The views are great.
"East of the road, Artsvanik (466 v.) dates to the 6th c. 3 km NE is Yeritsavank, a 6th c. church and pilgrimage site named after Yeritsuk, a mid-6th c. bishop of Syunik."
|  | Zvartnots Cathedral
Zvartnots, a complex of structures erected in the middle of the 7th century near Ejmiatsin, is of extreme architectural value. The complex consisted of St. George temple or Zvartnots ("vigil forces", "celestial angels") and the palace of Catholicos Nerses Ill, known as "Builder". Zvartnots, buiIt as Armenia?s main cathedral in 641?661, was to suppress Echmiadzin cathedral by its grandeur. This purpose was served by the original architectural composition of the building which is an example of a central-dome temple different in its appearance from the antique and Byzantine structures of this kind. The plan of Zvartnots is based on the composition of the central nucleus of Armenia's cross-winged, dome-type structures of the previous times, that is the Greek cross. However, this cross is harmoniously fitted into a circle rather than into a square. Zvartnots? architecture was supposed to impress the onlooker by its extraordinary artistic splendor. This determined the size of the temple, its layout and spatial arrangement, its structural features and its decoration which emphasized the central axis of the building and its upward sweep. According to Stepanos Taronatsi, an Armenian historian of the late 10th and the early 11th centuries, (Stepanos of Taron, known as Asokhik). Zvartnots lay in ruins as early as in the tenth century. He does not mention the cause of destruction. The remnants of Zvartnots, even In ruins, are a majestic sight. There survived only the lower parts of the walls and individual fragments, and scientists? reconstructions of the temples original look vary. The best known reconstruction is that by T. Toromanian. According to this reconstruction, the building consisted of three polyhedrons. the lower one being 32-hedral. and the upper one 16-hedral and crowned with a cone-shaped cupola. The central part of the interior had the shape of a tetraconch in the plan. In the joints between the apses there were mighty pylons which supported the drum of the cupola by means of spherical pendentives. Beyond the pylons there were columns arranged on the radial axis. They and the tops of the tetraconch?s semicircles buttressed the arches which served as the basis for the middle polyhedron. The tetraconch was surrounded by a two-storey gallery fenced on the outer side by a circular wall with closely spaced windows and, on the inner side, by an open arcade of the apses. The altar apse was blank. The heaviness of the cupola and of the middle polyhedron was conveyed by arches and vaults of double curvature to the pylons and columns of the apses. The decoration of Zvartnots temple followed the principle, common in the Armenian architecture of the 5th?7th centuries, of bringing out the basic architectural details: columns, door and window openings. cornices and archivolts. The outer surfaces of the polyhedrons, especially of the lower one, were ornamented with a rich arcature. The twin semi-columns were crowned with capitols with palmettes and acanthuses. On the whole, the motif of sculptural ornamentation, cut in high relief, was floral (a vine, stylized leaves, branches of pomegranate with fruit, etc.). The ornamental patterns are clear-cut, expressive, varied and unconstrainedly rhythmical. Standing out among them were interior column capitols of an original composition, shaped as wicker baskets with volutes and a cross or a monogram (with letters standing for "Nerses" and ?Katholikos") between them and decorated with the figures of rampant eagles which seemed to support the cupola ? a symbol of the firmament.
In the spandrels of the outer decorative areature of the bottom polyhedron there were half-length representations of men with building tools in their hands. Some researchers believe them to be portraits of builders (the name of ?Ioann" is cut near one, presumably the main of them, on the archivolt), and others maintain these are the portraits of the founders of the temple. The portraits are distinguished by a realistic depiction of faces and clothes and by the individual features of the figures shown in various postures. The rich and extraordinary interior decoration of the temple is evidenced, apart from the reliefs, by the pieces of vari-coloured smalt and tufa mosaic ornaments and fragments of murals which survived on remnants of plaster. These were found during the excavations of the altar part. Before the construction of Zvartnots was completed, its architectural and artistic concept was embodied, by the selfsame Nerses III in the initially concentric temple in Ishkhan built in 652?659. Presumably, the architect of Zvartnots knew the Syrian and Byzantine architectural structures of the same kind. Zvartnots stands out for an unusual composition which differed from that of these structures. Syria and Byzantium had no structures of this type. This is confirmed by Movses Kalankatvatsi, a 10th century Armenian historian, who wrote about the intention of Emperor Constantine of Byzantium. who had been present at the consecration of Zvartnots when it was nearing completion in 652, to build a similar structure in his own capital. This intention failed to materialize due to the architect?s death on his way to Constantinople. Zvartnots is a monument which embodies the centuries old traditions of Armenian architects. In its artistic image and daring spatial arrangement, formed by an intricate combination of arches and buttresses, Zvartnots is an outstanding monument of world architecture, an evidence of the high level of the development of the artistic and engineering thought in the 7th-century Armenia. Its architectural idea later became widely spread and developed in new shapes and new artistic compositions. To the south-west of the temple there was the Katholikos? palace which has also come down to us in ruins. It was a complex of capitally-built and regularly laid-out presence-chambers, dwelling, auxiliary and service premises. The scale, as well as the architectural and artistic features of the palace were coordinated with those of the temple. The palace building consisted of two parts arranged at all angle to each other and divided by a corridor. The western part comprised small premises and two halls. The big summer hall, where reception ceremonies and conferences were held, was divided by columns into three naves and communicated with the dividing corridor by an arcade. The second, slightly smaller hall, which served as a refectory and. possibly, as a throne-room, was of a more intimate character. The projections on its lateral walls reduced the span of the vaulted roofing reinforced by wall arches. The projections formed arched niches which lended artistic expressiveness to the interior. The eastern part included dwelling and service premises, such as storerooms and a bathroom. The latter consisted of two sections, the bigger one intended for common, and the smaller one for privileged visitors. The bathroom was equipped similarly to that of Garni. Adjoining it on the southern side was a small hall-type church of the 5th?6th centuries, south of which there was a large wine-press. The plan of the palace is almost a square. The small size and skylight of most of the rooms show that they had wooden roofings of the kind used in Armenian peasant homes. The open gallery with an arcade on the northern side of the eastern part and flat roofs gave this structure of a severe composition the appearance of a southern-type building. The massive arches of the arcade resting on buttresses, cross-shaped in the plan, concealed the divisions between the premises behind it. It did not only decorate the square In front of the palace, but connected its architecture with that of the temple. The palace of Nerses III was the biggest of all the known civil structures of the 7th-century Armenia.
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 RESTAURANTSYou can enjoy all kinds of foods in Armenia, from Armenian to Italian, French, Middle Eastern and many more! Please find few of the restaurants listed. | Cucina Italian Restaurant
Tel.: 37410 599000, 599002, 599248
Fax: 37410 599001
E-mail: armenia.marriott@hotelmail.r.am
URL: www.marriott.com./EVNMC
Republic Square, Yerevan, Armenian Cucina The Italian Restaurant where you find the authentic yet rustic Northern Italian fare that is fresh, artfully presented and full of flavor. The relaxing and comfortable ambience with its winning combination of great Italian food gives the feeling of an Old World family trattoria. |  | Cactus
Tel.: 37410 539939, 536399
42 Mastots Ave., Yerevan, Armenia Cactus is an authentic Mexican restaurant. It?s a place with live music band with hot Mexican rhythm. Tacos with hot cheese, crispy corn chips, tequila and exotic cocktails are among the items which visitors can sample. |  | Bellagio
Tel.: 37410 561920, 563838
2 Myasnikyan Str., Yerevan, Armenia Bellagio resataurant offers lovely music, beautiful design and a quiet atmosphere. Ideal for cozy, intimate dinner. Dishes from Armenian, European cuisine are served. | | | Barcelona
Tel.: 37410 539653
E-mail: barcelona@netsys.am
35 Tumanyan Str., Yerevan, Armenia |  | Armenian Brasserie
Tel.: 37410 599000, 599002, 599248
Fax: 37410 599001
E-mail: armenia.marriott@hotelmail.r.am
URL: www.marriott.com./EVNMC
Republic Square, Yerevan, Armenia The smart, elegant and at the same time casual atmosphere offers a winning combination of great food, comfortable and relaxed dining and a very friendly service. The all day dining restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, offering international dishes, Sunday Brunches and Armenian aspects. |  | Avan Villa Yerevan
Tel.: 37410 547888, 543422, 543122, 542707
E-mail: hotels@tufenkian.am
URL: www.tufenkian.am
13 Nork Marash Str., bld. 16, Yerevan, Armenia Avan Villa invites visitors to join for a "Lavash Party" in the restaurant of exquisite guest mansion Avan Villa Yerevan, a Tufenkian Heritage Hotel. Here guests can be an eyewitness of a spectacular ceremony of making traditional Armenian bread "lavash" in the tonir. The menu includes delicious-and unusual- Western and Eastern national Armenian cuisine. Visitors can taste healthy food in the garden while enjoying a breathtaking view stretching from Yerevan all the way to Mount Aragats. |  | Astafian Restaurant
Tel.: 37410 521111, 541111
E-mail: astafian@netsys.am
URL: www.astafian.com
5/1 Abovian Str., Yerevan, Armenia Astafian is an upscale restaurant within Astafian Complex which can seat 130 guests. The decor resembles late Renaissance. It is comfortable and elegant. Astafian Restaurant offers different Armenian tasty dishes as well as business lunches, tea and coffee break services. |  | Arqayadzor
Tel.: 37410 580062, 580922
32 Miasnikyan Ave., Yerevan, Armenia Arqayadzor is located on the way to Zoo park. It?s a fabulous restaurant where you can taste different Armenian tasty dishes, wines and listen to live music. |  | Arma
Tel.: 37410 546000, 581843, 522779
URL: www.arma.am
275 Norki Ayginer Str. Arma Hotel, Yerevan, Armenia ARMA restaurant offers the best specialties of both national and international cuisine. The ARMA fine dining restaurant offers exquisite cuisine and luxury atmosphere for its guests. Visitors can treat themselves to spectacular evening, live music and take advantage of seeing the best of the City from the breathtaking height. An experienced catering staff is committed to exceeding the client?s expectations. The restaurant is an ideal place for meeting and banquets. Whatever the occasion, business or pleasure, conferences, seminars, concerts, breakfast, lunch or dinner will be special in the ARMA restaurant. |  | Arcada
Tel.: 37410 568999, 568919, 568969
42 Teryan Str., Yerevan, Armenia Arcada is a newly opend restaurant with a modern standard rooms and offers delicious food from European, Japanese and Armenian Cuisines. |  | Ararat
Tel.: 374 10 527933, 527382, 567634
E-mail: ararat@erevan.am
Republic Square, Government bld. # 2, Yerevan, Armenia Ararat restaurant is the first restaurant in Yerevan that holds a significant history, and is famous for its national traditions. It has been the favorite place of celebrated writers and actors such as H.Nersisyan, H.Shiraz , A.Isahakyan and many other outstanding people. This original building was designed by Alexandr Tamanyan. The restaurant offers traditional Armenian dishes and live folk, pop music. |  | Aragast
Tel.: 37410 545500, 542254
E-mail: smeloyan@yahoo.com
41 Isahakian Str., Yerevan, Armenia Cafe and Restaurant Aragast offers Armenian, Georgian, Russian and European dishes and live jazz music. The Aragast Caf?-Restaurant is one of the most frequently visited places in Yerevan. People say the best Jazz music in Yerevan is to be found here. | | | Antunyan
Tel.: 37410 566555
47 Nalbandyan Str., Yerevan, Armenia Antunyan is an Eastern restaurant where you can sample many good eastern dishes. |  | Ani
Tel.: 37410 589500
19 Sayat Nova Ave. Ani Plaza Hotel, Yerevan, Armenia Ani restaurant serves traditional Armenian cuisine and popular international dishes. Different snacks and beverages can be served at any time. | | | Ani
Tel.: 3742830 2732
42 Sisakan Str., Sisian, Armenia |  | Amrots
Tel.: 37410 525220
122 Antarayin Str., Yerevan, Armenia Amrots is a great restaurant for delicious traditional cuisine. Nestled in the shadow of the Ararat Mountain Amrots Restaurant blends original family recipes and a cozy atmosphere. Live music all day long. For the visitors who wish to eyewitness the preparation of khorovats, chief will show how the Armenian BBQ is being prepared. | | | Alcada
Tel.: 37410 584107, 584007
8 Moskovyan Str., Yerevan, Armenia Alcada restaurant offers Armenian, Russian and European dishes. |  | Ai Leoni
Tel.: 37410 538331, 530892
40 Toumanian Str., Yerevan, Armenia In the traditions of Italy?s famous trattorias, the sight, sounds and aromas of authentic Italian cuisine are recreated fresh everyday at Ai Leoni cucina Iitaliana. At the heart of Ai Leoni is a core lunch and dinner menu based in authentic Italian recipes. Emphasis is placed on simple fresh ingredients and traditional Italian cooking methods. Visitors do not have to be in Italy to enjoy fresh, handmade pasta, handmade traditional Italian pastries, cakes and dessert, world famous Italian wines, liquors, espresso, cappuccino, genuine Italian ice cream, Italian dry spiced ham, and other entrees. |
 Theatres & CinemasThe theatre art of Armenia can trace its history back to ancient times. The ancient Armenian theatre was a contemporary of the Greek and Roman theatre. This is borne out by the Greek historian Plutarch in his "Parallel Lives". He notes, in particular, that a theatre already existed in 69 B.C. in the Armenian capital Tigranakert and that Euripides tragedy "Bacchae" was performed in another Armenian capital-Artashat - in the year 53.
The first of these references is connected with the name of Tigran II, called the Great (95-55 B.C.) and the second with the name of his son Artavazd II, who is also considered the first Armenian dramatist. Both these references, however, cannot be taken as the beginning of Armenian theatre art, the sources of which go back to even more ancient times. This is proved by the findings of many archaeological excavations and the traditions, which have been preserved among the Armenian people.
An important role in the development of ' the modern Armenian theatre was played by two large cities - Constantinople and Tiflis. They provided the impulse for the development of modern Armenian national dramaturgy, the most brilliant representatives of which were Gabriel Sundukyan, Akop Paronyan, Alexander Shirvanzade and Levon Shant, now recognized Armenian classics.
Yerevan can boast many excellent theatres, among which mention may be made of the State Academic Armenian Drama Theatre named after Gabriel Sundukyan, the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Alexander Spendiaryan, the Musical Comedy Theatre, and the Drama Theatre named after Konstantin Stanislavsky. Other important theatres in cities of the republic are drama theatres in Leninakan, Kirovakan, Artashat, Kamo, Kafan, and Goris and also numerous amateur theatres and circles.
The State Academic Armenian Drama Theatre named after Gabriel Sundukyan was founded in 1922. Its repertory over these years runs into scores of interesting productions, many of which now hold a firm place in the history of the Armenian theatre. G. Sundukyan's plays "Khatabala" and "Pepo", Shirvanzade's "Because of Honour", L. Tolstoy's "The Living Corpse", M. Lermontov's"Masquerade", N. Gogol's "The Inspector-General", F. Dostoyevsky's "The Idiot", Moliere's "Tartuffe", Beaumarchais' "The Marriage of Figaro" and many others have won the recognition of audiences as true achievements of creative art. Productions of Shakespeare's tragedies are also among the successes scored by this theatre.
The history of the Sundukyan Drama Theatre is closely bound up with the names of such outstanding actors as Vagharsh Vagharshyan, Hrachiya Nersesyan, Vahram Papazyan who are recognized figures in the history of Armenian and world theatre art.
The State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Alexander Spendiaryan is housed in a building designed by A. Tamanyan and is one of the architectural highlights of Yerevan. The main auditorium is designed in the form of an amphitheatre, thus making the stage visible to every spectator.
The repertory consists of Armenian, Russian, and world classics of opera and ballet art, operas and ballets by Armenian composers. Armenian cinematography has also made significant progress. The films "Pepo", "Zangezur", "The Mountain March", "Sevan Fishermen", "David-Bek", "Because of Honour", the trilogy about the legendary Armenian revolutionary Kamo have all taken their place among the best international films.  | Nairi Cinema
Tel.: Tel.: 37410 542829, 566180
50 Mashtots Ave., Yerevan, Armenia Doors of hospitable Nairi entertainment center are open for visitors at any time of the day. It is very special place. Right here, next to this building, several generations used to date and in these very halls on a magic screen couples watched their first movie together. In the movie halls the acoustic perfection (Dolby Digital Surround EX) creates the presence effect and makes the Nairi a delight for audience. In the bigger movie hall there is a VIP balcony, where at the same time you can enjoy movies, delicious food and drinks. In the smaller movie hall (Dolby Digital Surround), both foreign and local guests, who prefer to watch the movies in origin, can actually and equally enjoy the show. On weekends in this very hall kids can watch their famous movies and cartoons. Every family member will find wanted entertainment here. For kids Nairi Cinema offers wonderful game-rooms, even for little once. You can leave your child here and have fun next door. Next to small hall there is a DVD shop, where purchase or rent is available. You may prefer to play ?Pool? or enjoy food after or before show. ?Oscar? restaurant is well-known by its delicious salad-bar and many other tempting dishes.
?Fifth Element? bar offers karaoke shows and other entertaining shows organized for kids. "Underground? bar offers live music. Famous singers, favorite pop, sole, jazz music, and wonderful performances take place here. | 
| Cinema Moscow
Tel.: Tel.: 37410 521210, 521240
URL: URL: http://www.moscow.am/
18 Abovyan Str., Yerevan, Armenia Moscow Cinema is located in the heart of Yerevan on Abovian Street. The building of Moscow Cinema is an integral part of fabulous architectural bouquet of old Yerevan. In the movie halls the acoustic perfection: Dolby Digital Surround EX, and Video system: DVD projector. Moscow Cinema also provides the choice of watching the movies in the summer outdoor. Moscow Cinema starts to show movies beginning 11:00 am every day of the week. Usually, the movies are scheduled to begin every two hours after 11 a.m.: 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m., and 9 p.m. The new movies are usually shown in prime times (7 and 9 p.m.), and later their show times are shifted to earlier hours, giving place to newer movies. The currently operating hall is equipped with comfortable arm-chairs. The halls are no smoking. The cinema offers indoor cafe as well as outdoor cafe that operate during the summer period. Internet and computer services, playing machines and a shop of audio/video products where audio CDs and tapes, video tapes in Russian, English and Armenian (fiction movies/scientific movies) are available. Indoor cafe has modern furniture and lighting design. Serves drinks and beverages, snack food, ice cream, etc. Outdoor cafe has beautiful view on Aznavour Square and Abovyan street opening from the balcony where outdoor cafe is located. |
| Young Spectator
Tel.: 37410 581974, 563040, 565153
3 Moskovian Str., Yerevan, Armenia Yerevan State Theatre of the Young Spectator raised its curtains in 1929. Currently, the theatre presents productions of various Armenian authors and international classics such as Shakespeare, Schiller, Goldony, Molier, Ostrovsky, Saltikov-Shedrin, and Sophocles. | | State Song Theatre
Tel.: 37410 566790, 567044
13a Khanjyan Str., Yerevan, Armenia The State Theatre of Song was founded in 1994. The repertoire includes theatrical performances and concerts performed by Armenian pop stars. During his tenure, Art Director Artur Grigorian has discovered and promoted a number of talented singers. | | State Musical Chamber
Tel.: 37410 521969, 521968
Baghramian Subway Station, Yerevan, Armenia State Musical Chamber Theatre was founded in 1997. The repertoire of the theatre includes: "The Humpback from Notre Dam" after the musical "The Cathedral of Notre Dam" by Kociante and Plamandona, Musical Drama "Bernauer's Daughter" by Carl Oriff. "Cats" musical by A. L. Webber is performed here as well. For the comical opera lovers, "Kikos" opera by V. Ajemian is staged. | | State Marionette Theatre
Tel.: 37410 562450
43 Mashtots Ave., Yerevan, Armenia The State Marionette Theatre was established in 1987. Due to the efforts of talented directors and artists Marukhian, Gamjian, Elbakian, Badalian, and Harutiounian many captivating performances have been performed, such as "Kikos", "The talking fish", "The master and the servant", "The meeting of mice", "The girl and the bear", and "The real friend". | | Mher Mkrtchyan
Tel.: 37410 564227
18 Khorenatsi Str., Yerevan, Armenia
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| Metro Theatre
Tel.: 37410 422742
Garegin Nzhdeh Subway Station, Yerevan, Armenia The Metro Theatre was founded in 1992. Its repertoire includes: Panilov's The Topaz, Kocharian's The guest, Kalinovski-The beast on the moon, Monier's Paris is a dangerous city, Konstantinov's Diogen, Sartre's Time to gather the stones as well as Hey jan Chachastan! based on the tales of Tumanian. | | K. Stanislavski
Tel.: 37410 569199, 583681
7 Abovyan Str., Yerevan, Armenia The Stanislavski State Russian Drama Theatre was established in 1937. The first actors of the theatre were invited from Moscow, Leningrad (Saint Petersburg), Tbilisi, and Baku. In short order, Armenian graduates from the Yerevan Theatre Institute supplemented the first troupe. Presently the theatre includes Russian classical and modern works, plays by Armenian and foreign authors, and performances for children. These include: Gorin?s ?Funeral prayer?, Griboedov?s ?Wit works woe?, Gourkin?s ?Baykalian quadrille?, Shant?s ?The princess of the fallen fortress?, Sundukian?s ?The ruined home?, Ishkhanian?s ?The king of Kilikia?, Orton?s ?What the butler saw?, Lasege?s ?Oh these French doings?, Letrase?s ?Baby?, Chenau?s ?Good luck?, Benedetti-?I don?t know you anymore, Tyatte?s ?The golden fish?, Grigorian and Marinossian?s ?Broken chain?, and Ostrovski?s ?The rainstorm.? The performances for children are: Marshak?s ?Cat?s house? and ?Tower house?, Andersen?s ?The princess and the soldier?, Ustinov?s ?Alyona?s lick?, and Moroz and Shugurov?s ?The princess and the pea?. | | Henrik Malian
Tel.: 37410 540296
20 Vardanants Str. (Cinema House), Yerevan, Armenia Established in 1980, the Henrik Malian Theatre of Armenfilm Studio is located in the Cinema House. Its repertoire includes mainly comedies, such as Tumanian's "Fairy tales", Dante's "Divine Comedy", and many others. The theatre has taken part in many international festivals and contests, including the 10th International Festival in Germany (1996), the "East and West" Festival in France (2000), and the Experimental Theatres Festival in Egypt (1992). Narine Malian, daughter of the institution's namesake is the acting art director |
| Hamazgayin Theatre
Tel.: 37410 539415
26 Amiryan Str., Yerevan, Armenia The Hamazgayin Theatre was founded in 1991, with a repertoire for both children and adults as well as performances in different genres. The troupe of the theatre includes a lively mix of famous as well as up-and-coming artists, and has taken part in many International Festivals. Their repertoire includes two performances for adults and three for children. | | H. Tumanyan
Tel.: 37410 563244, 563243
4 Sayat-Nova Ave., Yerevan, Armenia The Tumanyan State Puppet Theatre was founded in 1935. The current repertoire of the theatre includes performances for both children and adults. The repertoire consists of: Tumanian's "The dog and the cat", "Hunter the fibber", and "The invisible cock", the Grimm Brothers' "Musicians against their will", Aghayan's "Anahit", Volkov's "Under the star of Bethlehem", Martirossian's "New adventures of the wolf and the kids", Manarian's "The dwarf's song" and "The three piglets", Gorky's "The sparrow", Mouradian's "The tailless fox", Pushkin's "The golden fish", and Andersen's "Little Ida's flowers".
| | H. Paronyan
Tel.: 37410 580101, 580309
4 V. Sargissian Str., Yerevan, Armenia The Paronyan State Theatre of Musical Comedy was established in 1941. Outstanding actors such as Grigoryan, Khachvankyan, Sarian, Danzas, Hamajian, Karagyozian and many others have showcased their talents on the stages of this theatre. Both Armenian as well as European writers comprise the repertoire of this central theatre. They includes: Ananian?s ?Here I am? and ?Lord, don?t leave us lord-less?, Papazyan?s ?Parisian bridegroom?, Aghasarian?s ?A crazy day?, Freidau?s ?Doubts in a woman?s heart?, Kancheli?s ?Khanuma?s tricks?, Aristophanes?s ?Lysistrata?, Marivaux?s ?The game of love and chance?, Phigeredo?s ?Aesop?, Patrick?s ?Strange Miss Savage?, Sundukian?s ?Khatabala?, Paronian?s ?The oriental dentists?, Kotoyan?s ?My mother-in-law?, de Philipo?s ?Philumena Marturano?, and de Vega?s ?The gardener?s dog?. |
| H. Ghaplanyan
Tel.: 37410 524723, 524733
28 Issahakian Str., Yerevan, Armenia The Ghaplanyan Drama Theatre opened its doors in 1967. The diverse repertoire includes both the works of classical and modern authors, such as Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", Siva's "The endless Return", Zeytuntsian's "Jesus From Nazareth and his second disciple", Gorin's "To forget Herostrates", Startiev?s ?The Bus?, Adalian?s ?The woman and the man?, Paronian?s ?Comedy?, Molier?s ?Doctor Perforce?, Knanjian?s ?Hi, geeks!?, Saroyan?s ?My heart is in the highlands?, and Nikolay?s ?To kill for love?. | | G. Sundukian
Tel.: 37410 527670, 521852
6 G. Lusavorich Str., Yerevan, Armenia
Founded in 1922, the Sundukian National Academic Theatre is the oldest modern theatre in Armenia. The statues of G. Sundukian, the founder of the Armenian school of realistic drama and his literary character Pepo greet patrons as they enter the theatre. Legendary actors and actresses such as V. Ajemian, V. Potpomogov, V. Papazian, H. Ghaplanian, H. Nersisian, Hasmik, A. Avetisian, and A.Voskanian have all graced the stage with their presence. Today, the theatre performs national as well as foreign works, such as: Sundoukian?s ?The testament?, Mouratsan?s ?Rouzan?, Shant?s ?Ancient gods?, Sargissian?s ?The unnecessary man?, Zeytountsian?s ?All rise! Court?s in session!?, Nikolai?s ?Return to Sorrento?, Camus?s ?Caligula?, Chekhov?s ?The cherry garden?, Williams?s ?Streetcar named Desire?, O?Neil?s ?Love under the elms?, Haroutiounian?s ?Mr. Shmo and others?, Khodikian?s ?A woman After the rain?, Sharoyan?s ?Our share of joy.? | | Circus
Tel.: 37410 580436
1 Agatangeghos Str., Yerevan, Armenia | | Chamber Theatre
Tel.: 37410 566378, 566070
58 Mashtots Ave., Yerevan, Armenia
The curtain of Yerevan State Chamber Theatre was raised in 1982. The troupe of the theatre consists of non-professional experimentalist actors. The repertoire includes world-famous traditional plays and distinctive performances: Shakespeare's "Hamlet", "Titanic-Made in Armenia", "Gentlemen, the World is Braking Down, but We Can Still Live and Have Fun", "David Copperfield of Sasoun" and many other. The performances, mainly comedies are accompanied with live jazz music. The theatre has its picture gallery, film studio and jazz ensemble.
| | Agulis Theatre
Tel.: 37410 583923
29 Abovian Str., Yerevan, Armenia
The Agulis Puppet Theatre-Studio was established in 1988. Performances include: ?Three piglets?, ?Red hat?, Hansel and Gretel?, and ?Kikos?.
| | Aesthetic Small Theatre
Tel.: 37410 561438
Address 11 Abovyan Str., Yerevan, Armenia
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Tours in ArmeniaThe fact that Armenia is the oldest Christian state, the existence of early Christian monuments and strong traditions make Armenia an attractive country for tourists interested in cultural tours. There are 15,000 monuments of history and culture spread over the territory of the Republic of Armenia making this country a unique open-air museum.
Tours through Armenia will provide you with an amazing opportunity to discover an ancient land full of legends, Christian monuments, fascinating nature: rich in mountains, waterfalls and architectural treasures. You will also have a chance to dive into old Armenian culture and traditions by visiting concerts of folk music and dances, becoming a witness of making real ?Khorovats? - Armenian BBQ, ?Lavash?- Armenian bread and of course enjoying all that tasty food. You can see beautiful Armenian weddings and one of the oldest celebration of Armenian Just Married ?Trndez? which has been preserved up to our days from ancient times, when Armenians were pagans.
This are just some options but we can offer you more and build you tours according to your interests. NINE-DAY TOUR IN ARMENIA AND KHARABAGH 9 days/10 nights Day 1
City-tour in Yerevan. Seeing Matenadaran.
Visiting Memorial in Tsitsernakaberd.
Lunch.
Visiting Cathedral in Ejmiatsin. Seeing churches of St. Hripsime and St. Gayane. On the back way to Yerevan seeing ruins of Zvartnots temple.
Back to Yerevan.
Day 2
Trip to the region of forests - Dilijan. Seeing Haghartsin monastery and after that trip to the pearl of Armenia - Lake Sevan.
Lunch at Sevan.
Visiting Sevanavank.
Back to Yerevan.
Day 3
Tour to Kharabagh. On the way visiting Khor Virap and Noravank monasteries.
Lunch on the way.
Arrival in Kharabagh. Accommodation in the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel.
Day 4
Trip to Gandzasar.
Lunch.
City-tour in Stepanakert. Seeing Tomb Stone of Arthur Mkrtchian, Memorial Monument dedicated for martyrs of Liberation of Artsakh, symbol of Artsakh.
Dinner at the hotel.
Day 5
Tour to Shoushi. Visiting Ghazanchetsots monastery.
Back to Yerevan.
Lunch on the way.
Trip to Jermuk. Seeing Tsolk waterfall and the drinking-gallery.
Visiting Paruyr Sevak's museum.
Arrival in Yerevan. Accommodation in the hotel.
Day 6
Trip to Geghard Monastery.
Seeing pagan temple in Garni.
Back to Yerevan.
Lunch.
Day 7
Tour to Sardarapat. Seeing memorial and visiting museum in Sardarapat.
Back to Yerevan.
Lunch.
Visiting vernissage.
Day 8
Tour to the Lory Region. Visiting centre of Lory - Vanadzor.
Lunch.
Seeing Haghpat and Sanahin monasteries truly considered to be jewels of Armenian medieval architecture.
Back to Yerevan.
Day 9 Trip to Ashtarak region.
Seeing Amberd fortress.
Lunch.
Visiting Karmravor and Tsiranavor churches.
Seeing St. Mesrop Mashtots church in Oshakan.
Back to Yerevan.
FOURTEEN-DAY TOUR IN ARMENIA AND KHARABAGH 14 days/15 nights Day 1
City-tour & sightseeing of one of the world's oldest cities ? Yerevan. Visiting Erebuni fortress and museum (782 BC). It is housed in the ancient citadel of Erebuni, the predecessor of the present-day Yerevan. Its display includes bronze and iron tools, earthenware, weapons, ornaments and other articles made by Urartu craftsmen with have been uncovered during excavations on the site of the ancient fortress town. Visiting the Memorial in Tsitsernakaberd dedicated to the victims of the Genocide in 1915. Lunch in Yerevan. Visiting Matenadaran ? depository of ancient manuscripts. Visiting St. Gregory the Illuminator Church. Visiting Victory Park ? seeing of the panoramic view of the capital.
Day 2
Visiting State Museum of Armenian History ? the important archaeological collection from Stone Age trough Medieval periods. There are some interesting models of early modern Yerevan and other historical exhibits of interest of those comfortable in Armenian or Russian. Visiting magnificent pagan temple Garni (1st century) of the God of Sun ? Miher and summer residence of the Armenia Royal family that overlooks a breathtaking gorge. The heathen temple of Garni is the only surviving monument of the Hellenistic period in Armenia. The temple was collapsed during the earthquake of 1679. It was restored in the 1970s, using the surviving fragments and carving the missing ones anew. Lunch in Garni, in a village house, where the barbecue will be made in the presence of the tourists. Lunch will be accompanied with music. Excursion to the supremely beautiful Christian monastery of Geghard built out of the sheer side of a mountain between the 11th and 13th centuries. The monastery was the depositary of one of the relics of the Armenian Apostolic church. Back to Yerevan.
Day 3
Tour to the North. Visiting ancient monuments and picturesque places ? Vanadzor, the administrative center of Lori region. Lunch along the way. Visiting Alaverdi town. See Haghpat and Sanahin monasteries (10th -13th centuries), truly considered as jewels of Mediaeval Armenian architecture preserved by UNESCO and included in the World Heritage list. Visiting Odzun temple (6th c) which is a domed basilica. The church was reconstructed and has reached our days in a relatively good condition. North to the church is the famous memorial monument. Back to Yerevan.
Day 4
Tour to the Armenian-Turkish border and observing the ruins of ancient capital of the Armenian Kingdom ? Ani, now ghost city "of a thousand and one churches" at the present time located in the Turkish side. Lunch along the way. Visiting the center of Shirak region - Giumri, where the destructive Earthquake occurred in 1988. Excursion in Giumri which is the town of Armenian traditions and handicraftsmen. In the village of Marmashen 10km away from Giumri is a well-preserved monastery of Marmashen (10th-13th cc). The monastery was an outstanding religious and cultural center of medieval Armenia. Back to Yerevan.
Day 5
Trip to famous lake Sevan ? the pearl of Armenia and enjoy the natural beauty of the Lake. It is amongst the biggest mountain lakes of the world (1900m above sea level). There are many historical and architectural monuments in Sevan. Visiting the monastery of Sevan (9th c) which is situated on the present day Sevan peninsula. Sevan has always been famous for its fish ?ishkhan? which means ?prince-fish? in Armenian. Lunch at Sevan. Following to the region of pine forests Dilijan. See Haghartsin monastery dating from the 11th century situated at the picturesque Haghartsin Gorge. See Goshavank monastery founded on the right bank of the Getik river in 1188 by the famous Armenian scholar, jurist and fabulist M. Gosh. Many beautiful khachkars have been presented in Goshavank. Back to Yerevan.
Day 6
Visiting the museum of Parajanov. The best museum in Yerevan is small and idiosyncratic, the would-be final home of famed Soviet filmmaker Sergej Parajanov (1924-1990). He won international fame with ?Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors? and ?Color of Pomegranates?, but his career was crippled by imprisonment and denial of resources. Lunch in Yerevan. Afterwards trip in Armavir Region direction. See Sardarapad Memorial and the Museum of Ethnography. There is Memorial Complex of the Heroes of the Sardarapat Battle opened in 1968 10 km away from the town of Armavir. This is the site where Armenians won a victory over Turkish aggressors in 1918. The complex includes a big park and a high bell tower, an alley with figures of eagles that leads up to a wall with a triumphal arch. Behind the wall there are the buildings of a refectory and the Ethnographical museum. The exposition of the museum is quite rich. It presents a multitude of materials from many historical and ethnographic regions of. Back to Yerevan.
Day 7
Pilgrimage to Holy Echmiadzin ? the first official Christian Church in the world and the seat of the Supreme Patriarch ? Catholicos of all Armenians. There is also a burial site of several Armenian Catholicoses. Tour around the town, visit the Cathedral ? religious center of Armenians, the Cathedral Museum. Lunch in Echmiadzin. Excursions to the ancient churches of St. Virgins ? St. Gayane and St. Hripsime. On the back way observing the ruins of Zvartnots (7th c). The temple was collapsed from an earth-quake in the 10th century. Back to Yerevan.
Day 8
Tour to Kharabagh. Along the way see the historic monastery Khor Virap with an overwhelming view of Biblical Mount Ararat. This is the site where St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned by an Armenian king for preaching Christianity in Armenia. See famous Monastery Complex of Noravank which is one of the most splendid monuments of medieval Armenia. The monastery is overhanging the gorge of the river. Lunch nearby Vaik. Arrive at Stepanakert. Accommodation in the hotel. Dinner in the hotel.
Day 9
Following trip to Vank village with the Gandzasar Monastery (Mountain of Gold) ? one of the prime attractions in Karabagh. Lunch along the way. City-tour in Stepanakert ? the capital of Kharabagh. Back to the hotel. Dinner in the hotel.
Day 10
Visiting ancient Shushi ? large beautiful town situated on the Plateau, on the very top of a steep mountain. Shushi has a large and beautiful Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, built from 1868-1887 and recently restored, as well as the smaller Kanach Jam (Green Church). You also can enjoy a sweeping views of the lower Karintak river valley. Back to Yerevan. On the back way visiting Jermuk resort town - rich with hot mineral waters. It is surrounded by lush Alpine vegetation, forests, and Tsolk waterfall. Lunch in Jermuk. Tour to mineral spring. Move from Jermuk. Trip to Yeghegnadzor ? historically Yeghegik, an ancient seat of the Orbelian family. Visiting village Gladzor. with Gladzor university. See Tanahati Vank ? the actual site of the university is continuing along the same narrow paved road. Return to Yerevan.
Day 11
Visiting Amberd fortress and castle (10th-13th cc) ? it was the familial estate of the Pahlavouni princes. It is one of the few feudal castles of Armenia that has been more or less preserved to our days. Visiting Ashtarak ? the district which has been inhabited from time immemorial. Ashtarak has many historical and architectural monuments. The most famous among them is the church of Karmravor (7th c). See the grand 5th ?6th century Tsiranavor (Orange) charch. See church of St. Mesrop Mashtots in Oshakan. The creator of the Armenian alphabet Mashtots died in 440 A.D and was buried in Oshakan. Lunch in Ashtarak. Return to Yerevan.
Day 12
Visiting Vernissage ? open market of Armenian handicrafts. This art market is full of hand-made souvenirs and items of interest that you will not find anywhere else. Lunch in Yerevan. Free time.
Day 13
Visiting Cognac Factory. The chance will take you to the fairyland of the world famous Armenian brandy. You will discover what the living legend of the Armenian Brandy is. During the tour: distillation workshop, barrel-making workshop, aging workshop, bottling workshop, museum (history and evolution of the company), video hall (15 minutes of a screen-tour in the world of legendary Armenian Brandy), bar-tasting, shop (an exclusive chance to buy genuine brandy). Lunch in Yerevan. Visiting National Picture Gallery ? a huge collection of Russian, Armenian and Europian works.
Day 14
Trip to Tsakhkadzor resort ? it is on the Eastern slope of the Teghenis mountain. Tsakhkadzor is famous for its numerous pensions, lodges and sport facilities. There is a ski lift leading to the top of the Teghenis mountain. The marvelous monastery complex of Kecharis is in the Northwestern part of the town. Back to Yerevan. Farewell dinner.
Houses & Appartments
Vernon Travel Service can help you find houses & appartments in Yerevan, with different rates & amenities. 
Sightseeings
There are many tours and short trips that you can take from the Armenian capital to interesting places in the republic. Here are some of the many places you may like to see.
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