Rock Monastery Geghard

Geghard is a monastic complex (IV – XIII century), a unique architectural structure in the province of Kotayk. It is located in the gorge of a mountain river, about 40 km southeast of Yerevan.

The name of the monastery complex (literally – “Spear monastery”) derives from the spear of Longinus, which was stabbed into the body of Jesus Christ on the Cross, and, allegedly, brought to Armenia by the Apostle Faddee among many other relics. Now the spear is in the museum of Echmiadzin.

The cliffs surrounding the monastery are a part of the gorge of the Azat River, which, like the monastic complex, is put on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. Some of the temples of the monastery complex are completely carved out inside the rocks, while others are complex structures consisting of both walled rooms and rooms carved deep inside the cliff. On the territory of the monastery complex there are numerous khachkars, which are traditional Armenian stone memorial stellas with crosses, carved on stone walls and the ones standing separately. Geghard is one of the most visited places in Armenia by tourists.