Church Complex of Surb Poghos-Petros, Hayravank Monastery, «Norashen» Reserve, Lake Sevan

Church Complex of Surb Poghos-Petros

Hayravank Monastery

«Norashen» Reserve

Lake Sevan

            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 point of the tour is the Hayravank Monastery. The church (9th century) is a cross-shaped four-altar central-domed construction. The oldest inscription on the walls of the church dates back to 1211 and refers to capital overhaul. An altar, which was most likely built later, is adjacent to the south-eastern corner of the church. The dome was destroyed at the end of the 19th century. The church acquired its current appearance as a result of restoration in the 1980s. Only the corners and other connecting parts of the structure are made of hewn stone, the rest are made of rough basalt. It is one of the unique samples of Armenian architecture. The entrances are from the southern and western altars, and the western one was opened later.

The last stop of the tour is the «Norashen» Reserve. It is located in the northwestern part of the Sevan National Park and covers an area of ​​839 hectares; of which the land part is 341 hectares, and the water part is 498 hectares. The length of the reserve is 3.9 km, the width is 3.0 km. The purpose of the reserve is to provide a normal habitat and breeding ground for birds (especially the Armenian gull, as it is the only endemic bird nesting here). It is here that the most beautiful white sand beach of Sevan is located; relaxing on the beach will be truly paradisal. You will really enjoy it!

Departure: 09:00

Arrival: 19:00

Departure place: Hakob Hakobyan str. 1