Armenia: Khor Virap Monastery

Having only been in Armenia for a week I got my first photo opportunity over the weekend. I had asked my younger host brothers if they’d be interested in going to the edge of the village with me to take some photos of Mount Ararat. They said they knew an area in the neighboring village with a better view of the mountain. So off we went on foot and the next thing I know is that my host brothers called their classmates to come meet us there and meet their new American guest. What my host brothers failed to mention was that they were taking me to the Khor Virap Monastery, a very old monastery.

Armenia is the first country to recognize Christianity so it only makes sense that some of the old churches and monasteries would be found here. Another detail my host brothers failed to mention was the distance it was to Khor Virap from our village. In all, I think we walked about 8 miles that day. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have an issue with walking that much, but when you have a heavy backpack full of gear it starts to hurt.

The Khor Virap Monastery sits on top of a hill overlooking Mount Ararat. Right before it you pass a lot of agricultural fields and a very ancient cemetery. The architecture is beautiful and graceful. There are numerous vista points to sit and enjoy the view. The first thing you notice is the church made of stone and surrounded by large walls. In the northwest section of the monastery is a room where you can light your candles and say a prayer. Towards the south is where you can take a ladder down to a hidden shrine. You must be willing to squeeze through because the entry point is very small and the ladder is very, very steep. Once inside, you are greeted with a large picture of religious icons and stone crosses that I couldn’t even guess how old they were. I would only recommend only 5 or 6 going in at a time because the space is very confined and it’s easy for traffic to bottleneck on the ladder.

Afterwards, my host brothers and their classmates took me to the top of the hill where the view was spectacular. I managed to take some great photos of the mountain and of the monastery from this point. Be sure to bring your ultra wide lens if you have it available. From the top of the hill, you can easily see how close the Turkish border is too.