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Geotour

Khor Virap

Armenia · Religion

Getting there
About 45 km (50 min) south of Yerevan on a good paved road
Best time
April–May, September–November
Recommended stay
1–1.5 hours

About Khor Virap

Khor Virap is a walled monastery on a low hill in Armenia's Ararat plain, about 45 km south of Yerevan and a few hundred metres from the closed border with Turkey. Mount Ararat (5,137 m) rises directly behind it across the Aras river. You climb down a metal ladder into the 6-metre pit where St Gregory the Illuminator is said to have been imprisoned, visit the 17th-century church and walk up the hill behind the walls for the classic view of the monastery with Ararat.

Tours Including Khor Virap

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Must-See Attractions

  • St Gregory's pit

    A steep metal ladder leads down into the 6-metre pit below the chapel of St Gevorg; it is narrow and busy at weekends.

  • Surb Astvatsatsin church

    The main church of 1662 in the monastery courtyard, with candles lit by pilgrims.

  • Hill behind the monastery

    A short walk up the hill gives the postcard view of the walls with Ararat behind.

Nearby

  • Areni

    Village wineries and the Areni-1 cave, where the world's oldest known winery was found, about 60 km south-east (1 h).

  • Noravank

    13th-century monastery in a red-rock gorge, about 70 km south-east (1 h 15 min).

  • Yerevan

    Armenia's capital, about 45 km north (50 min).

Location

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Good to know

Getting there

About 45 km (50 min) south of Yerevan on a good paved road; from Tbilisi about 330 km (6–7 h including the border), so it is visited from Yerevan.

Best time

April–May, September–November

Best time

Spring and autumn give mild temperatures and the best chance of a clear view of Ararat; summer on the Ararat plain is hot (often above 35 °C) and hazy.

Recommended stay

1–1.5 hours

Border

Khor Virap is in Armenia; you need your passport for the Georgia–Armenia border crossing on the way from Tbilisi.

Currency

Armenia uses the dram (AMD), not the lari; bring some dram for candles and snacks, as the Georgian lari is not accepted.

Language

Armenian is spoken here; Russian is widely understood and some English in Yerevan.

Fees

Entry is free.

Walking

The ladder into the pit is steep and tight; skip it with a fear of confined spaces or reduced mobility.

Views

Ararat is clearest early in the morning and in autumn and winter; summer haze often hides it by midday.

Dress code

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

History & culture

Culture

Khor Virap is one of Armenia's main pilgrimage sites. Families come to light candles in the pit chapel, and you may see a matagh, a traditional sacrifice of a lamb or cockerel, or doves being released for good luck at the gate.

History

The hill was part of Artashat, the capital of ancient Armenia founded in the 2nd century BC, and the royal prison was here: "Khor Virap" means "deep pit". According to tradition, King Tiridates III kept Gregory the Illuminator in the pit for about 13 years before Gregory cured him and converted him, and Armenia adopted Christianity as its state religion in the early 4th century (traditionally 301). A chapel was built over the pit in 642, and the main church of Surb Astvatsatsin dates from 1662.

Local Cuisine

The Ararat plain is Armenia's orchard: roadside stalls sell apricots in June–July and grapes and peaches in late summer. For wine, continue to Areni, where local wineries pour red wine from the Areni grape.

Nearby destinations

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