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Photo: Psalm Tours, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The monastery is built in part at the top of the cliff, in part halfway down. At the top, there is a three-chambered chapel. Below, the walls of the canyon form one of the four walls of the structures. There are caves within the monastic complex, khachkars and carvings. St Mark's Church was built by the Princes Zakare and Ivane Zakarian in 1187. The other buildings were built by Abbot Samuel in 1206.
Horomayr Monastery is a monastic complex in the Lori Province of Armenia. The monastery is built on the cliffs 1 km south of the village of Odzun. It is easiest to get to Odzun from Alaverdi via the town's public transport. To get to the site, the visitor may climb up from the highway along the Debed River, or hike south across the cliffs from the last switchback to Odzun. The fastest but hardest route is to climb down the cliff south of Odzun.
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A huge basilica, which has withstood the tests of time for 1,300 years, the church in Odzun is a beauty. There are also some interesting steles, placed there as a memorial, with carvings telling a story, and a large village surrounds the church.
A 40-minute walk from the center of Tumanyan to this monastery on the cliffs, with its stunning frescoes and carvings. The partially collapsed church once had magnificently exposed frescoes - which are now being covered again as the complex is restored. The setting is really nice, as are the views. Well worth the 15-min walk up the slippery wet lush, green slopes of the canyon above the tiny hamlet of Kober.
St Hovhannes Monastery
Monastery built in 8-17th centuries consists of two small churches and a belfry surrounded by low-height walls. There is also a tetrahedral monument, khachkars (cross stones) and ruins of dwellings.
Quirky little museum with thousands and thousands of matchbox labels from all over the world. The labels come from different decades, with designs and themes that give an interesting perspective into their time and places.
UNESCO World Heritage site, and for good reason. This wonderland of incredibly well preserved Armenian architecture has stood for almost a thousand years, with little change. You can sense how the place must have buzzed with activity. Sayat Nova, the famous bard, used to sing here. The name literally means "older than that one", referring to Haghpat. This is due to the competition between those two monasteries. However, both originate from pretty much from the same time. Sanahin has a round library building that the groundskeeper can show you, with exquisite carvings. You can take a cable car from the main highway up to Sanahin village, and walk to the monastery (20 min) if you prefer. You will pass the Migoyan Museum on the way up.
Beautiful semi-ruined monastery with intricate carvings on the side of the canyon, overgrown with vegetation.