Begin your tour with a visit to the Haghpat Monastery, an active monastery of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the village of the same name in Armenia's Lori Province. The complex stands on a small plateau surrounded by gorges and was founded in 976 under Ashot III the Merciful Bagratuni. Queen Khosrovanush played a significant role in the monastery's founding. From the 10th to the 13th centuries, Haghpat was one of the centers of Armenian spiritual culture, a large monastic estate with extensive lands. From the second half of the 12th century, Haghpat became the spiritual and religious centre of the Kingdom of Lori. The burial vault of the royal family of the Bagratids of Lori, the Kyurikids, was moved here from neighbouring Sanahin.
Continue to Dilijan, a city in northeastern Armenia, in the Tavush Region. It is a mountain resort and spa resort. Dilijan is almost entirely surrounded by the Dilijan Nature Reserve, one of the richest in the South Caucasus.
Next, visit Sevan, the largest lake in the Caucasus, located in the Armenian Highlands of Armenia. Locals call it a sea. Scholars debate the origin of the name. Most researchers believe the name was given to the body of water by the inhabitants of the ancient country of Urartu, which was located in what is now modern-day Armenia. A stone found on the shore provided the key to the mystery: an inscription on it, dating to the 9th century, included the word “sunia,” which means “lake” in the Urartian language. Sevanavank is a monastery on the northwestern shore of Lake Sevan. Until the 9th century, the monastery consisted of two churches: the small Church of St. Karapet and the spacious three-aisled Church of St. Harutyun, built on the site of a pagan temple in 305 by Gregory the Illuminator. During the reign of Ashot Bagratuni and the subsequent 200-year rule of the Bagratuni family, economic and cultural growth was marked, and the construction of churches and monasteries, including Sevanavank, began.
At your leisure, visit the Modern Art Museum of Yerevan. If you wish, you can also explore the Yerevan Brandy Company, Armenia’s leading producer of alcoholic drinks. Its products are sold under the ARARAT brand and are available in more than 52 countries worldwide.
