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Geotour

Geghard Monastery

Armenia · Religion

Getting there
About 40 km (50 min) east of Yerevan via Garni on a paved road
Best time
April–October
Recommended stay
1–1.5 hours

About Geghard Monastery

Geghard, at the head of the Azat valley about 40 km east of Yerevan in Armenia, is a 13th-century monastery partly carved into the cliff. Beside the free-standing main church, rooms and chapels are cut straight into the rock, lit only from openings in the ceiling, and a spring runs through one of them. Voices carry in the rock-cut halls, and choirs sometimes sing there for visitors. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and usually combined with Garni Temple, 10 km down the valley.

Tours Including Geghard Monastery

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Must-See Attractions

  • Katoghike main church

    The 1215 domed church, with carved lions and a bull above the door.

  • Rock-cut churches

    Chapels hollowed out of the cliff, one with a spring pool, the other with carved columns and a dome cut into the rock.

  • Proshyan family tomb

    A rock hall with a carved lion-and-eagle coat of arms.

  • Cave cells and khachkars

    Monks' cells and carved cross-stones cut into the cliffs around the courtyard.

Nearby

  • Garni Temple

    The 1st-century Greco-Roman temple, about 10 km down the valley (15 min).

  • Symphony of Stones

    Basalt columns in the Azat gorge below Garni village, about 12 km (20 min).

  • Yerevan

    The Armenian capital, about 40 km west (50 min).

Location

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Good to know

Getting there

About 40 km (50 min) east of Yerevan via Garni on a paved road; from Tbilisi, Yerevan is a 5–6 h drive via the Sadakhlo–Bagratashen border.

Best time

April–October

Best time

Spring and autumn are mild in the Azat gorge; the site is open all year, but winter can bring snow and ice on the approach.

Recommended stay

1–1.5 hours

Border and documents

Geghard is in Armenia; carry your passport and check whether your nationality needs a visa.

Currency

Armenian dram (AMD); entry is free, but bring small notes for candles and the stalls.

Language

Armenian, with Russian widely spoken.

What to wear

Shoulders and knees covered; women usually cover their hair in the churches.

Heads-up

The rock-cut rooms are dark and the floors uneven; let your eyes adjust before walking in.

Time needed

About 1 hour.

History & culture

Culture

Geghard is an active monastery and a pilgrimage place; families come on Sundays and holidays, and some tie strips of cloth to trees near the gate for wishes. Women at the entrance sell gata, a sweet Armenian bread, and sujukh, walnuts coated in grape juice.

History

Tradition says St Gregory the Illuminator founded a monastery here in the 4th century at a sacred spring in a cave, which is why it was first called Ayrivank, the Monastery of the Cave. The name Geghard, 'spear', comes from the Holy Lance said to have pierced Christ, which was kept here for centuries and is now in the Etchmiadzin treasury. The main church was built in 1215 under the Zakarian princes; the Proshyan princes then cut the rock churches and their family tomb later in the 13th century. UNESCO listed Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley in 2000.

Local Cuisine

Gata and sujukh from the stalls at the monastery gate; for lunch, family houses in nearby Garni serve lavash from the tonir with khorovats.

Nearby destinations

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