Khor Virap Monastery Ararat Province, Armenia

The Khor Virap (meaning deep pit or deep well) is an Armenian Apostolic Church monastery located in the Ararat plain in Armenia, near the border with Turkey, about 8 km south of Artashat, Ararat Province. The monastery was host to a theological seminary and was the residence of Armenian Catholicos.

The notability of Khor Virap as a monastery and pilgrimage site is attributed to the fact that Grigor Lusavorich, who later became Saint Gregory the Illuminator, was initially imprisoned here for 13 years by King Tiridates III of Armenia. In the year 301, Armenia was the first country in the world to be declared a Christian nation. A chapel was initially built in 642 AD at the site of Kirat Virap by Nerses III the Builder as a mark of veneration to Saint Gregory. Over the centuries, it was repeatedly rebuilt. In 1662, the larger chapel known as the St. Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God) was built around the ruins of the old chapel, the monastery, the refectory and the cells of the monks. It is probably the most visited pilgrimage site in Armenia. Khor Virap is located on a hillock in Pokr Vedi. Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, is 30 km to the north. It is situated about 100 meters away from the Turkish-Armenian border. The monastery is surrounded by green pasture lands and vineyards within the Ararat plain and is in view of Mount Ararat. The Arax River flows close-by. The 17th century church built around the pit is a simple structure surrounding a large courtyard which looks like a fort complex.

/Wikipedia.org/

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