Individual / Sarnaghbyur, Lmbatavank, Tufashen, Harichavank, Vardakar reservoir

• Hogevank Monastery
• Surb Karapet Church in Sarnaghbyur
• Surb Tadeos Arakyal Church in Sarnaghbyur
• Surb Hakob Church in Sarnaghbyur
• Holy water "Zagha" / place of pilgrimage of Gregory the Illuminator
• Sarnaghbyur reservoir
• Tufashen
• Monastery Lmbatavank
• Monastery complex Harichavank
• Vardakar reservoir

The first stop of our tour will be in Sarnaghbyur village, which is famous for its churches and holy waters. Here we will see the medieval complex Hogevank (Red Monastery or Dzoragyugh Monastery). Surb Karapet Church was built in 1205. Surb Tadeos Arakyal church was built in 1883. Another church in the village, Surb Hakob church, is the oldest one. It has been rebuilt for many times. It is a basilica construction, and little has been preserved from its original appearance. The construction and decor of the preserved base of the pilaster are typical of the 5th-6th centuries. As a result of the repair work and rebuilding carried out in the XVIII-XIX centuries the church decreased, and a wooden ceiling was added.

The next stop is the cave “Zagha” with holy water. It is of great interest because it was a place of pilgrimage for Gregory the Illuminator; a large cave with a spring gushing in it is especially remarkable here, which has served as a place of pilgrimage up to this day. Inscriptions have been preserved on the inner walls of the cave. The cave has expanded over the time and crosses have been carved in the rocks.

On the way we will also see the picturesque Sarnaghbyur reservoir.

Then we will go to Tufashen village. The fortress of the 2nd millennium BC is the most remarkable one among the surviving historical monuments. There is an early medieval cemetery on the southwestern outskirts of Tufashen village, at the foot of the hill, where all the tombstones are made of tuff. A characteristic feature of tombstones should be also noted: they are cross-shaped, which is an exceptional phenomenon in the history of the Christian cemetery construction.

The above-mentioned tombstones-crosses are ordinary cradle-shaped tombstones, the eastern edges of which are rectangular, protruding. The originally decorated khachkars of the 13th-14th centuries used as tombstones have been preserved in the cemetery. The church rebuilt in the XIX century has been preserved in the village, and a fragment of a khachkar of the 15th-16th centuries is embedded in the masonry of the northern wall of the church. The Tukh Manuk chapel (XII-XIII centuries) is no less valuable among the preserved historical monuments of  Tufashen village

The Lmbatavank Monastery located 1.5-2 km from Artik city at the foot of the hill will be our next stop. The monastery is a cross-domed structure of the VI-VII centuries.

The last stop of the tour will be the Monastery Complex of Harichavank (XIII century), consisting of two churches: Surb Grigor and Surb Astvatsatsin chapels, a bell tower, a farm construction and a school building.

On our way back we will be able to admire the Vardakar reservoir.

Departure: 10:00

Arrival: 20:00

Departure place: Hakob Hakobyan str. 1/near the Mergelyan Institute.

1 person - 50.000 AMD,

2-3 persons - 35.000 AMD,

4-10 persons - 25.000 AMD,

11-20 persons - 20.000 AMD,

21-30 persons - 10.000 AMD