FROM PAGANISM TO CHRISTIANITY

One of the most popular tours in Armenia is available to you FREE OF CHARGE.

From Paganism To Christianity: The arch of “Yeghishe Charents”, Garni temple, Geghard monastery, Simphony of the Stones, national bread “Lavash” baking and tasting

Are you planning to spend your holidays in Armenia? Then don’t miss your chance to take part in one of the famous excursions in Armenia. You will have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful view of the Garni pagan temple, see the Geghard monastery, and then spend a wonderful leisure time around the tonir while cooking and tasting Armenian bread - lavash.

This fantastic tour will introduce you to the exotic Pagan history of Armenia, and show the later development and spread of Christianity in the country.

Stop 1: Charent’s arch

The first stop is near Charent’s arch which was names in honour of Armenian poet Eghishe Charents, who loved this place and used to visit it frequently. 

Stop 2: Geghard Monastery

The next stop will be is the Monastery complex of Geghard. St. Geghard symbolizes the lance with which the Roman centurion pierced Jesus after crucifixion. Later the lance had been brought to Armenia and kept in Geghard Monastery for 5 centuries. The complex presents Armenia of 13th century, which is considered to be the Golden Age of the country’s architecture. However, the most astonishing part of this complex is its architectural solution churches drilled into the solid rock that were constructed in accordance to the rules of Armenian architecture. Geghard Monastery is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stop 3: Garni Temple

Garni Temple (77 A.D.) is another historical site included to this tour. It is the only standing heathen temple in the whole post-Soviet area. The temple gracefully stands on a high plateau overlooking the Azat river gorge. The surrounding area itself is incredibly beautiful. The greek-roman bath house with the mosaic, made out of 30,000 pieces of natural stones, as well as the ruins of the royal palace, will take you to 3rd century A.D.

Stop 4: “Lavash” baking and tasting

Not far from the temple of Garni (about 10 minutes’ walk), there is a cozy local restaurant with an amazing view of the temple, where you can relax and take part in master-class of tasting of freshly baked lavash – traditional Armenian flatbread. 

Stop 5: Symphony of stones*

Your last stop before returning to Yerevan will be the gorge of “Symphony of stones” . These rocks start from the beginning up to the highest point of the canyon. The monument consists of huge paradoxically symmetric hexagon and pentagon basalt columns (nearly 100 meters high). The gorge got its name from the amazing resemblance to the church organ. There are especially many such rocks in the gorge of the Azat River, which is included in the UNESCO heritage list.

* - this stop is optional and will be available till the snowfall.

Stop 6: Matenadaran

Starting from November 16, the tour will include an optional stop at Matenadaran, Armenia’s renowned repository of ancient manuscripts. This addition offers visitors a chance to explore one of the world’s richest collections of medieval texts and artifacts. This stop will add an extra hour to the tour and costs an additional 4,000 AMD per person.