UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Armenia provides the pilgrims with a unique opportunity to visit monasteries and churches that are inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

Currently monasteries of Haghpat, Sanahin and Geghard (with Upper Azat Valley), Cathedral and churches of Etchmiadzin and the Archaeological site of Zvartnots are included in the list.

Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin

Haghpat Monastery

Geghard Monastery

Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin (included in 1996, 2000)

The monasteries “from the period of prosperity during the Kiurikian dynasty (10^th to 13^th century) were important centres of learning. Sanahin was renown for its school of illuminators and calligraphers. The two monastic complexes represent the highest flowering of Armenian religious architecture, whose unique style developed from a blending of elements of Byzantine ecclesiastical architecture and the traditional vernacular architecture of the Caucasian region”¹. Monastery of Haghpat is also well-known for the Miraculous Amenaprkich Khachkar (All-Saviour Cross-Stone).

Reference

1. Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Cathedral and Churches of Etchmiadzin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots (included in 2000)

Etchmiadzin is the heart of Armenian Christianity where the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin – the spiritual and administrative centre of the Armenian Church is located. Cathedral and churches of Etchmiadzin together with the remains of once gorgeously standing Cathedral of Zvartnots “graphically illustrate the evolution and development of the Armenian central-domed cross-hall type of church, which exerted a profound influence on architectural and artistic development in the region”¹.

Reference

1. Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley (included in 2000)

The Monastery of Geghard is a masterpiece of Armenian Architecture, one of the symbols of our stone land and famous place of prayer. It “contains a number of churches and tombs, most of them cut into the rock, which illustrate the very peak of Armenian medieval architecture. The complex of medieval buildings is set into a landscape of great natural beauty, surrounded by towering cliffs at the entrance to the Azat Valley”¹.

Reference

1. Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin (included in 1996, 2000)

Reference

Cathedral and Churches of Etchmiadzin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots (included in 2000)

Reference

Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley (included in 2000)

Reference

See also