Visited – August 2013
Getting to Khor Virap took a very scenic 40 minute drive southeast of Yerevan to the border with Turkey, surrounded by the vineyards of the Ararat plain. This trip is best done early in the morning, as the monastery is located on the Ararat plains and your chances of getting a good look at beautiful Mount Ararat are better at this time of day.
Although Ararat is actually located on Turkish territory, the mountain is extremely important to the Armenian national identity and culture, going back to the legend of the Armenian state being founded by Hayk Noah’s great-great-grandson. Whether you care about its biblical importance or not, the mountain range and the vineyards of the surrounding plain are a beautiful sight.
The name Khor Virap stands for “deep pit” or “deep well” in Armenian and was the site where Saint Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 14 years by King Tiridates III. According to legend, Gregory cured the King of mental illness, which resulted in the King converting to Christianity and declaring Armenia the world’s first Christian nation in 301 AD. The first chapel was built on over the pit in the 7th century, but the monastery was rebuilt several times and the current building dates back to the 1600s. You can still climb a metal ladder into the pit of Saint Gregory’s imprisonment from the small basilica on monastery grounds, called St. Gevorg. Just be careful on the stairs and keep in mind that the cell can be hot and stuffy in the summer.
Khor Virap is still an active worship site, but also one of the most visited tourist sites in Armenia due to both its proximity to Yerevan and its importance to Armenian history and culture. Another reason to go early is to beat the tour buses for a good photo, hopefully capturing both the site and its mountain backdrop.
After visiting Khor Virap, we continued our tour with a visit to Noravank and the Areni wineries