Jeep tour // Church complex of Surb Poghos-Petros, extinct volcano Gutanasar, Mariam Astvatsatsin Church

This tour to Mount Gutanasar is especially for lovers of bright photo sessions.

The first stop of the tour is the church complex of Surb Poghos-Petros. The complex consists of the churches of Surb Poghos, Surb Petros, a chapel and a cemetery. The Church of Surb Poghos was built in the 12th-13th centuries and is a construction with a square plan. The vault and gable roof collapsed. There is a construction inscription on the northern wall, according to which, the church and gavit were built by Aslan and his brother Virapshah. The church was repaired by believers, as a result of which the construction lost its original appearance.

            The Church of Surb Petros (the 13th century) is located on a steep hillside and is a single-nave hall with a vaulted gable roof. The church is built of black and orange tuff.

On the north side of the churches, in the rocks, there is a cave, where in the 1980s  archaeologist G. Ghazaryan discovered tools of the Stone Age.

The next stop of the tour is unique Mount Gutanasar. Gutanasar is an extinct three-headed volcano in Armenia, located in the Kotayk region, in the northwest of the Geghama plateau, 3 km south of Fantan village. Translated from Armenian, "gutan" means "plow". The mountain received its name Gutanasar due to its northern slope, the folds of which resemble the furrows of a plow. The height of the volcano is 2300 m above sea level.

The last point of the tour is Mariam Astvatsatsin Church located nearby.

Departure: 11:00

Arrival: 18:00

Departure place: Hakob Hakobyan str. 1