Vorotnavank

Vorotnavank stands on a narrow spur above the Vorotan gorge, founded at the end of the tenth century by Queen Shahandukht and extended by her son, with two churches, a gavit and a wall running round the edge of the rock. Earthquakes have damaged it repeatedly and restoration has been partial, which leaves it looking its age. The position is the thing: the ground falls away on three sides and the gorge runs below.

Background

The monastery lies about 14 km east of Sisian in Syunik Province, on the stretch between Vaghatin and Vorotan villages. Queen Shahandukht built the main church, Surp Stepanos, in 1000, and her son Sevada added Surp Karapet in 1006-1007. Within the high stone wall there were once workshops, stores, a seminary, a cemetery and an alms-house, and a pillar in the yard marked the place where monks entered religious service and kings were inaugurated. The philosopher and theologian Hovhan Vorotnetsi (1315-1398) lived and worked at Vorotnavank, and he also founded Tatev Vardapetaran University. The dome, which collapsed in the 1931 earthquake, has been rebuilt, and reconstruction has run since 1980.

Source: Wikipedia, "Vorotnavank"

What you'll find

• The two churches - tenth and eleventh-century buildings within the walled precinct.
• The gavit - the vaulted hall between them, with carved detail surviving.
• The wall - the enclosure following the edge of the spur.
• The gorge - the Vorotan dropping away below the monastery on three sides.

When to go

May to October is the season. The site is open and unstaffed. Autumn colour in the gorge is the best time of year for the setting.

What to expect

Earthquake damage is visible and parts are propped or fenced. There is no interpretation and no facilities. The last stretch of road is rough.

Nearby

Sisian is west, and the Vorotan gorge runs down towards Tatev.

Key facts