Geghard Monastery

Geghard Monastery, carved out of living rock, is unique among the many ancient churches and monastic complexes found in Armenia. According to tradition, the monastery of Geghard was founded by St. Gregory the Illuminator around the beginning of the 4th century. Being carved into the mountain side, it was known as Airivank (Monastery of the Cave). According to Armenian Church tradition, the monastery was the repository of the spear (in Armenian: geghard) that pierced Christ’s side during the crucifixion. In honor of this relic, now kept in Holy Etchmiadzin, the monastery was called Geghardavank from the 13th century onward.

St. Gregory the Illuminator chapel, built in 1177 by the Zakarian princes, is the oldest standing monument in the Geghard complex and lies outside the monastery walls. In 1215, the cathedral (katoghiké) church was built, and nine years later the stonepillared gavit was added. A second and more important phase of construction began in the 13th century after Prince Prosh purchased the monastery from the Zakarians and began to carve into the mountainside. Under the Proshians, St. Astvatsatsin Church was carved (1215), as well as the royal lodgings (1283), and Prince Papak and his wife’s tomb (1288).

Geghard Monastery represents an extraordinary architectural achievement. Even today, it is difficult to determine what techniques were used in the construction of this monastic complex, where the slightest miscalculation would have reduced the hillside into a heap of rubble. The organic integration of monastery and stone represents an apex in medieval naturalistic artistic creativity.

Beyond the exceptional architectural significance of Geghard Monastery, it was a major medieval spiritual and cultural center containing a seminary, scriptorium, extensive library, and numerous monastic chambers. It was here that the 13th-century historian Mkhitar Airivanetsi lived and worked. In 2000, the monastery of Geghard was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.