Wednesday October 12th
We spent the night in Dilijan which is known as the "Switzerland of Armenia" with its attractive scenery and extremely pleasant climate. During Soviet times it was a popular place for composers , artists and writers. The local architecture features steep roofs and wooden beams and some very pretty little houses.Our first visit was to the Art Gallery
which houses an eclectic collection of European and Armenian art from the 16th to the 20th century.
We then returned to our coach for the next part of the journey, this time to Lake Seven.1900 metres above sea level, as well as being the largest lake in the Caucasus it is also one of the largest freshwater , high altitude lakes in the world.(940square kilometres) Overlooking the lake on the Seven Peninsula, .is the Sevanavank monastery.
A pagan temple once occupied the site but was replaced by a now ruined church in the 4th century and two further churches were built in the 9th century.The climb to the top up a long flight of steps was well worth the view. Queen Mariam, wife of Vasak of Syunik, built the churches in 874 and they were heavily restored in the 17th century. In the 19th century the monastery was used to reform monks who had gone astray.
After lunch in the capital, Yerevan we drove to Khor Virap Monastery on the border with Turkey (4 borders in 2days!). The village is best known as the home of one of Armenia's major pilgrimage destinations. The buildings have been rebuilt several times since the 6th century. The pagan King Trdat imprisoned St Gregory in a well but became cursed with madness and it was only after he was cured by the saint that he converted to Christianity.
The monastery lies opposite Mount Ararat, and there are some spectacular views of the surrounding river pastures and vineyards. Although Mount Ararat is actually in Turkey, the Armenians claim it as their own. Armenian was the first country to officially become Christian , in 301.
In the evening I went for a stroll through the city centre, which was vibrant and buzzing with its cafe culture, and in the square restaurants and bars were crowded.
We spent the night in Dilijan which is known as the "Switzerland of Armenia" with its attractive scenery and extremely pleasant climate. During Soviet times it was a popular place for composers , artists and writers. The local architecture features steep roofs and wooden beams and some very pretty little houses.Our first visit was to the Art Gallery
We then returned to our coach for the next part of the journey, this time to Lake Seven.1900 metres above sea level, as well as being the largest lake in the Caucasus it is also one of the largest freshwater , high altitude lakes in the world.(940square kilometres) Overlooking the lake on the Seven Peninsula, .is the Sevanavank monastery.
A pagan temple once occupied the site but was replaced by a now ruined church in the 4th century and two further churches were built in the 9th century.The climb to the top up a long flight of steps was well worth the view. Queen Mariam, wife of Vasak of Syunik, built the churches in 874 and they were heavily restored in the 17th century. In the 19th century the monastery was used to reform monks who had gone astray.
After lunch in the capital, Yerevan we drove to Khor Virap Monastery on the border with Turkey (4 borders in 2days!). The village is best known as the home of one of Armenia's major pilgrimage destinations. The buildings have been rebuilt several times since the 6th century. The pagan King Trdat imprisoned St Gregory in a well but became cursed with madness and it was only after he was cured by the saint that he converted to Christianity.
The monastery lies opposite Mount Ararat, and there are some spectacular views of the surrounding river pastures and vineyards. Although Mount Ararat is actually in Turkey, the Armenians claim it as their own. Armenian was the first country to officially become Christian , in 301.
In the evening I went for a stroll through the city centre, which was vibrant and buzzing with its cafe culture, and in the square restaurants and bars were crowded.
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