Wanderlust Travel Magazine (UK)
Immerse yourself in Armenia’s ancient spiritual heritage
A meeting place of ancient empires, the South Caucasus country was the world’s first to officially adopt Christianity in AD301. George Kipouros explores its spiritual landmarks
“Y ou’re actually standing on the 1,000-year-old tombstone of an Armenian royal,” smiled Sira, my all-knowing Armenian history guide. Was I so careless not to see it? Looking down I realised the entire floor of the narthex was actually made up of tombstones – yet I was inside the Katoghike Church of Sanahin Monastery. “You don’t need to worry – that is exactly how they’d like it. They wanted to be buried here so people would step on them when coming to church,” reassured Sira.
This was a metaphorical way for future generations of Armenians to remember their ancestors’ lives and achievements. It is part of the uniqueness of Armenian churches, which are frequently credited as forming the first national style in Christian architecture, dating back to the fourth century AD.
Sanahin Monastery was my first stop on a journey up and down the country, exploring a little-visited nation still bound together by ecclesiastical tradition and symbolism. I was to discover that even for the ultra-modern Yerevanian youth, Armenian identity was closely informed by the heritage of their church. Armenians call their country Hayastan after the legendary patriarch Hayk, a great-great-grandson of Noah, who defeated the Babylonian king Bel in 2492BC and established his nation in the Ararat region.
Less than a 20-minute bumpy drive from Sanahin was Haghpat, the other UNESCO World Heritage monastic site in the Lori region. Haghpat was cool, dark and solemn, without any iconography but dotted with the ubiquitous khachkars, the uniquely Armenian cross stones with intricate engravings. I would see khachkars everywhere; not just in monasteries and ancient cemeteries but as a lasting symbol of identity that continues to be revered by Armenians worldwide. “Khachkars are erected in honour of victory, national holidays or martyrs,” explained Sira, while showing me the many ornate designs that are used.
Geghard Monastery, an hour from downtown Yerevan, has what is probably the finest example of an ancient khachkar, carved in 1213 by masters Timot and Mkhitar.yet it was the awe-inspiring location that stole the show for me at Geghard:
“A defining element of Armenian churches: their pointed domes are reminiscent of Mount Ararat”
the monastery is surrounded by towering cliffs at the entrance of the Azat Valley.
Indeed, visitors to Armenia’s monastic heritage sites will find the remote locations of particular interest. More than for aesthetic reasons, the monasteries were built in strategically safe locations; many a civilisation has tried to control the Armenian highlands. Perhaps the most spectacularly situated of them all – and the furthest one from Yerevan – is Tatev Monastery, which lies at the end of a 15-minute cable car ride and presents one of the most iconic vistas of Armenia.
Further down the Azat Valley from Geghard, we reached the oldest surviving monument of pre-christian Armenia, the first-century Temple of Garni. while many monasteries have been built on top of older pagan temples, Garni is a unique surviving example that was fully reconstructed in the 1970s. the temple was dedicated to Mihr, the sun god from Armenia’s pagan-influenced ancient mythology. Armenian Christianity adopted many rites from the pagans, and Armenians still celebrate the fire festival of Trndez, held in February, the month dedicated to Mihr.
Sira promised to dedicate my final day in the country to Mount Ararat, the mythical home of the gods. Though situated in modern-day Turkey, Greater Ararat looms over Yerevan and perhaps Armenia’s national psyche too. Its Mount Fuji-like outline is found everywhere, from the country’s banknotes to the labels of Armenia’s Ararat brandy. It remains the most enduring symbol of the ancient Armenian homeland, Sira explained. And, as we were driving to reach Khor Virap monastery, I experienced a memorable ‘Aha’ moment, revealing another defining element of Armenian churches: their distinctive pointed domes are reminiscent of the volcanic cone of Ararat.
Khor Virap boasts not only the best view of Mount Ararat but if you stop at the right place, just before reaching the monastic complex, you will see its pointed tower perfectly juxtaposed with Mount Ararat’s snowy peak in the background. Armenian churches all around the world often follow the same design pattern, featuring an Ararat-inspired dome as their centrepiece.
Fewer than three million out of the ten million Armenians globally actually live in the country today.the remaining majority form part of one of the world’s largest diasporas. Over a million people were killed during the Armenian genocide in the early 20th century; this untold atrocity, combined with the ensuing Soviet occupation, had a profound impact on the psyche of the modern Armenian nation-state. The country still looks to the heritage, tradition and symbols deriving from the oldest national church in Christendom as the glue that binds its national identity together. For a visitor to this still underrated destination, the unique remnants of Armenia’s ancient past present a magnificent sight alongside a living culture that remembers and honours its origins.