Excursion to Lake Sevan, Hayravank, Sevanavank
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Duration: 7hrs
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Price without guide
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Price with guide
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| Car (max. 3 passengers) | 25 000 AMD | 45 000 AMD |
| Minivan (max. 7 passengers) | 35 000 AMD | 55 000 AMD |
Lake Sevan is located in about 60 kilometers from capital Yerevan, and it takes more or less one hour to get there.
It’s the greatest lake in the Caucasus region and provides fish and fresh water to the Trans-Caucasus region. The lake is tremendously popular with Armenian people and is one of the primary summer destinations for not only Armenians but also foreigners.
Primary attractions of the city are the Monastery of Sevanavank and the Monastery of Hayravank.
Hayravank Monastery (also called Ayrivank) is located in Gegharkunik region, on the shore of the Lake Sevan, not too far away from Hayravank village.
It dates back to the 9th-12th centuries.
The three main constructions of the monastery are the church, the chapel and a gavit.
The main church, called St. Stepanos is in the form of quatrefoil cruciform. It was built in the 9th century. The chapel was added in 10th century. The gavit was the last piece of the monastery, which was built in the 12th century, therefore, ending the construction of the monastery as a whole.
The oldest inscription of the monastery dates back to 1211 and tells about the first restoration works of the church. The latest look of the monastery, which is preserved till today, is left from the restorations conducted in 1980s.
Sevanavank Monastery is located in Gegharkunik region, which is popular in Armenia due to its possession of the blue pearl of Armenia, Lake Sevan. There are two churches on the peninsula of Sevan. These two churches were built in 874 AD and together form the Sevanavank Monastery.
According to an inscription found in the territory, the monastery was built by Armenian princess Mariam, daughter of Ashot I, who later became the king of Armenia and the founder of Bagratuni dynasty. Sevanavank is one of the 30 churches that Princess Mariam vowed to build in the memory of her husband. King Ashot I, in his turn, presented six villages and gardens in the territory of today’s Garni and Yerevan to the monastery.
