Khor Virap
Armenia · Ararat · 900 m
Description
Khor Virap (Խոր Վիրապ) is a walled monastery on a low hill in the Ararat plain, and it is the most photographed place in Armenia for a simple reason. Mount Ararat rises directly behind it, thirty kilometres away and five thousand one hundred metres high, and the border fence runs a few hundred metres beyond the walls, so the mountain that carries the national identity is permanently in sight and permanently out of reach. Under the church a pit reached by an iron ladder is where Gregory the Illuminator was held for thirteen years before converting the king in 301.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 day
Travel season
Best time to visit: April – June or September – October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Mount Ararat behind the monastery
- Khor Virap Monastery and its walls
- Pit of Saint Gregory the Illuminator
- Ararat plain vineyards and the brandy grapes
- Sunrise over the mountain from the hill
- Artashat archaeological mounds
- Doves released for luck at the monastery gate
- Armash fish ponds and their bird migration (March - May)(Day trip)