Noravank Monastery

Noravank Monastery tickets: which one to buy

Entry is free, as at Armenian monasteries generally, and there is no ticket office or guide service on site. The monastery lies 122 kilometres southeast of Yerevan in a side gorge off the Areni valley, and the last few kilometres run between sheer brick-red cliffs that are half the reason to come. There is no public transport to the monastery itself; marshrutkas on the Yerevan to Goris road stop at Areni, eight kilometres away.

Day tours from Yerevan cost a moderate amount and usually combine Noravank with the cave of Areni, where the world's oldest leather shoe was found, and a tasting at one of the Areni wineries; longer versions add Khor Virap with its view of Ararat or continue to Tatev and the cable car. Private cars cost more and allow you to stay for the late light, which is when the cliffs and the tufa walls match exactly in colour. The road in from the main highway is narrow with blind bends, and coaches sometimes stop short and transfer visitors to minibuses.

Visiting Noravank Monastery: what to see

The monastery was founded in 1105 and became the seat of the bishops of Syunik and the burial church of the Orbelian princes. Its masterpiece is Surb Astvatsatsin, the Holy Mother of God church, finished in 1339 by Momik, sculptor, architect and miniature painter, who died the same year and lies under a modest khachkar nearby. The church is two storeys: a burial chamber below and a chapel above, reached by two narrow flights of steps that project from the face of the wall with no rail, cantilevered stones barely wide enough for a foot.

Climbing them is the thing everyone remembers and it is genuinely exposed. Above the doors are carved tympana, one showing God the Father with almond eyes and a long beard, an unusual image in Armenian art. Khachkars stand throughout the enclosure, several carved by Momik himself. The older church of Surb Karapet, next to it, holds the tombs of the Orbelian princes under carved slabs with lions and inscriptions.

Noravank Monastery opening hours and the best time to go

Open during daylight, every day, with no fixed hours. The gorge faces west, so the late afternoon is when the cliffs turn deep red and the church glows; that is also when tour buses have gone. Early morning is cool and shadowed. Winters are cold and the road can be icy, but the site stays open. Spring brings wildflowers along the gorge. The stone steps to the upper chapel have no handrail, are about 25 centimetres wide and are not suitable in wet weather or for anyone uneasy with heights;

there is no other way up. Dress modestly, with shoulders covered. A restaurant beside the car park serves Armenian food with a view of the cliffs. Allow an hour at the monastery and a full day for the round trip from Yerevan with the wine stops. The Areni wine festival in early October fills the valley, and the monastery is busy through that weekend.