During this tour you will visit “The Jewel of Armenia” or the “Geghama Sea” - Lake Sevan, which is one of the largest high-mountainous freshwater lakes in the world. In the northwest part of Sevan Lake, on a narrow rocky peninsula, there stands one of the most prominent examples of medieval Armenian architecture – Sevanavank Monastery. It was founded in 874 AD by princess Mariam. The remnants of the monastery that was constructed in the 9th century include only two temples – Surb Arakelots and Surb Astvatsatsin, standing among numerous khachkars. The church buildings were constructed from black tuff, which probably gave the monastery its name Sevanavank - “the Black Monastery”.
The next destination of our tour is “Armenian Switzerland” - Dilijan. It is said that if there were forests, mountains and mineral springs in Paradise, the Paradise would be similar to Dilijan. In 13 km northeast of Dilijan in a cosy place one can find Monastery complex Haghartsin ('Dance of the Eagles’). It was built between the 10th and 13th centuries and has three churches: one named for Gregory the Illuminator; another for the Virgin Mary (Surp Astvatsatsin); and the third for St Stephen (Stepanos). There are stunning khachkars, a sundial on the wall of St Gregory, a ruined gavit and a refectory with stunning arched ceiling.