DISCOVERING ARMENIA : GARNI TEMPLE, GEGHARD MONASTERY.

Hi , everyone! There are a plenty of adorable historical monuments in Armenia, ancient and unique. We did not have enough time to visit all of them, but we still visited to amazing authentic places - temple GARNI and monastery GEGHARD - and in this post I will tell you about them.

So how you can visit these places if you are in Yerevan and want to see some more than just capital of Armenia? It's easy, you can take an excursion which are widly offered in the city center (from private persons or travel agencies). A lot of historical monuments/places located not so far away from Yerevan, so you can see some of them during a half of a day (5-6 hours).

In my case I've ordered a private excursion from one agency, as I have two children (11 y.o. and 2 y.o.) and private car with a guide is more comfy for us than just touristic bus with a crowd. 

Firstly we went to GARNI TEMPLE. Garni is the only surviving monument in Armenia from the era of paganism and Hellenism, built in the 1st century AD (probably in 77) by King Trdat I and dedicated to the sun god Mithras. The complex served as the summer residence of the Armenian kings, was destroyed by an earthquake in 1679 and rebuilt in 1966-1976.

Garni is the epitome of Hellenistic architecture, and therefore, in the best traditions of this style, the temple impresses with its characteristic grandeur and solemnity. Nine high steps of stairs lead to the temple, immediately adding to the monumentality of the building. The composition of the temple represents a peripter: a rectangular hall with a portico, which is surrounded by columns from the outside. The side walls are surrounded by 24 pillars with images of mighty Atlanteans standing on one knee with their arms raised up and supporting the altars. The number 24 was not chosen by chance, it represents the number of hours in a day.

It looks monumental, ancient and beautiful. Nature around and mountains view are absolutely awesome.

After visiting Garni we had a small break, we stopped in one local family cafe and eat traditional armenian food - lavash with herbs, cheese and drink home made fruity juice.

And our second destionation was GEGHARD MONASTERY. 

The monastery was founded (presumably) in the 4th century by the First Catholicos of Armenia, Gregory the Illuminator, and was originally called Hayrivank.

It's not just a monastery, it's a fortress carved right into the rock, where every cave church holds age—old secrets, and the air is filled with the echo of prayers. There is a spring with healing water, and the stone walls are covered with intricate carvings that cannot be repeated. Legend has it that it was here that the sacred spear that pierced Christ was kept.

This place impressed me a lot! It's dark, mystic and has strong energy, you feel it while walking inside.

Unfortunatelly, I did not have a possibility to make more photos. But anyway photos can not reflect the whole beauty and power of these places.

I strongly recommend you to visit both Garni and Geghard! They are absolutely unique, authentic and unforgettable ♥︎

Thank you for your attention!