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Vorotnavank Monastery

Vorotnavank Monastery

Monastery

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220 km from Yerevan center

Region:

Syunik

On the edge of the deep Vorotan Gorge, suspended as if between sky and stone, rises Vorotnavank – a medieval monastery whose walls breathe with the weight of centuries and legend. Its story begins in the year 1000, when Queen Shahandukht of Syunik ordered the founding of this sacred retreat, entrusting her spiritual gift to eternity.

The complex embraces the churches of St. Gregory, St. Stepanos and St. Karapet, along with a spacious courtyard, a columned hall, a guesthouse and a cemetery – a world of stone where every detail carries the imprint of an era. The Church of St. Gregory holds a special place in this history. Though now in ruins, chronicler Stepanos Orbelyan wrote that it was originally founded by Gregory the Illuminator himself and later rebuilt by the hermit Stepanos, who infused its walls with humility and strength.

For centuries, people believed the church's stones carried the power to heal snake bites. Pilgrims would travel great distances, drawn by hope and faith, seeking salvation at this holy site. Thus Vorotnavank became a place where prayer met miracle and legend intertwined with belief.

Today the monastery greets visitors with silence and grandeur, as though inviting them to hear the whisper of the past echoing through its arches and cliffs. Vorotnavank is not only a monument of architecture, but a living chronicle of Syunik's spiritual journey, still carrying the breath of time.