Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity, in 301 AD. These ten monasteries are where that 1,700-year story is carved into the mountains.
In 301 AD Armenia became the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as its state religion, and for the seventeen centuries since, its faith has been written not on paper but in stone — on clifftops, inside caves, at the bottom of gorges. You could spend a lifetime visiting Armenian monasteries. If you have a week, start with these ten.
1. Tatev
The one everyone remembers. A fortified 9th-century monastery on the edge of the Vorotan Gorge, reached by the Wings of Tatev — the world’s longest reversible cable car, 5.7 km of pure drama. Once a medieval university, it remains the spiritual heart of the Armenian south.
2. Geghard
A UNESCO World Heritage site carved directly into the cliff face, where entire chapels are hewn from living rock. Ask your guide to let the group fall silent — the acoustics of the rock-cut chambers will do the rest.
3. Khor Virap
Not the grandest monastery, but the most photographed view in Armenia: a lonely chapel set against the twin peaks of Mount Ararat. This is where Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for thirteen years before converting the king — and the country.
4. Noravank
Golden stone against brick-red cliffs at the end of a dramatic canyon. Climb the narrow external staircase of Momik’s two-storey church if you dare — it was designed without a handrail on purpose.
5. Echmiadzin
The Vatican of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the seat of its supreme head, the Catholicos. Founded in 303 AD, it is one of the oldest cathedrals in the world (UNESCO).
6. Haghpat & 7. Sanahin
A pair of 10th-century monasteries in the northern Lori region, together inscribed by UNESCO. Masterpieces of medieval Armenian architecture, wrapped in mountain mist and half-forgotten by the tour crowds.
8. Sevanavank
Perched on a peninsula above the blue expanse of Lake Sevan, this is the monastery of the “Armenian sea.” Climb the steps for one of the country’s great panoramas.
9. Haghartsin
Tucked into the forested valleys of Dilijan — Armenia’s “Little Switzerland” — Haghartsin is all serenity and birdsong, a 13th-century jewel among the trees.
10. Goshavank
Named for the medieval scholar Mkhitar Gosh, and home to one of the finest carved khachkars (cross-stones) ever made — so intricate it is known simply as “the embroidered khachkar.”
You do not need to be religious to be moved by these places. You only need to stand inside one at dawn.
Our five-day Monasteries & Ancient Wonders tour threads the best of these into a single unhurried journey, with a licensed guide who can read the inscriptions and tell you the stories the guidebooks leave out.