11 Stunning Monasteries in Armenia and Georgia to See

One thing you’ll notice while traveling through the Caucasus is how many beautiful churches and monasteries in Armenia and Georgia you’ll find. Not only that, a lot of them were built in incredibly scenic locations. You can’t possibly cover them all but there are several stand outs that were on my tour through Armenia and Georgia.

We first went through Georgia and it was here where the scenery really surprised me. Georgia is a hidden gem of rolling green hills and dramatic views. Even the drive up to some of the churches was beautiful.

But Armenia actually holds the title of being the first country to establish Christianity as the state religion. It became a Christian nation in 301 AD after St. Gregory the Illuminator, the founder of the first Armenian Apostolic Church, converted the king. Because of its long history of Christianity, there are thousands of churches throughout the country.

What makes this monastery unique is that there are actually three different churches on the grounds. St. Gregory’s is the oldest, St. Astvatsatsin Church which is the largest and St. Stephen’s, the smallest.

The construction is said to have been sometime between the 10th and 13th centuries but parts of it were destroyed, rebuilt and added on to over the years.

Hours: Mon-Sun 9am-5:30pm

Mtskheta is one of the oldest towns in Georgia and is referred to as the birthplace of Christianity in Georgia. In 2014, the Georgian Orthodox Church also named Mtskheta as the ‘Holy City’. On one of the surrounding hills of Mtskheta is where you’ll find the sixth-century Georgian Orthodox monastery: Jvari Monastery.

It overlooks the old city and is a great example of early Medieval architecture that has largely remained the same and withstood destruction.

It’s hard to get the perspective when you’re visiting, but the monastery sits on the edge of a cliff overlooking the old town and has a great view. Once you’re in the town, you can see it in the distance. It’s one of those places that would be a great drone shot. In fact, there are several on this list that I wish I had my drone for!

The historic town of Mtskheta, Georgia is located just outside the capital of Tbilisi and is where you can find the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. This cathedral was originally built in the 4th century, but like many others, was rebuilt many times throughout history. It’s now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the second largest church in Georgia.

It’s an Orthodox Christian cathedral with beautiful medieval architecture surrounded by a fortress wall in the middle of town. The church grounds are beautiful to walk around and you can see the surrounding hills peaking above the walls, including the Jvari Monastery on a nearby hill.

Inside the main church is where you’ll see some beautiful mosaics and a church inside of a church!

Exploring the streets just outside the cathedral is a highlight as well. There are shops and stalls selling local sweets like Churchkhela (the Georgian Snickers) and wine ice cream. Yes, you read that right–Georgia is the oldest wine-making country in the world and you’ll find wine ice cream as a sweet treat here!

Goshavank Monastery is a 12th-13th century monastery located in Gosh, Armenia on a hillside. It was built on top of another older monastery that had been destroyed in an earthquake. There are several chapels on the ground as well as a book depository and bell tower.

The entrance is lined with rose bushes and on the outside of the monastery is where you can see a beautiful khachkar–an ornately carved Armenian cross. The stone work is beautifully detailed and characteristic of medieval artistry.

This monastery was the one I was looking forward to visiting the most because of it’s absolutely stunning location. Khor Virap is located right next to the Turkish border. In fact, you can look down from the monastery to see a small wire fence that indicates the border some 150 feet away.

Mount Ararat, the famous Biblical mountain known for being the resting place of Noah’s ark, is located near the Turkish border. And the view of the mountain lies just beyond the monastery.

It’s an absolutely incredible location to visit and easily one of my favorite monasteries in Armenia to visit. And actually, it was one of my favorite locations on the entire tour through Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. We were lucky in that our tour was at the start of Fall–there’s a small sunflower field by the side of the road that was in full bloom!

The visibility and weather is a factor though. The day before was rainy and we weren’t able to see it at all when we visited the Zvartnots Cathedral. But luckily we went on a sunny, clear day.

What’s notable is that this was the location where Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years. (Though our guide said the translation might not have been accurate and it’s more logical than it was 13 months.) He was thrown into a dark hole and survived by the people throwing bread down a small slit in the rock.

The same king who imprisoned him, King Tiridates III, eventually converted to Christianity because of Gregory the Illuminator.

Today, you can climb down into the same hole that he was imprisoned in.

The Zvartnots Temple was once a circular church with archways on the interior built in the 7th century. It was a multi-level structure dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator, who was the founder of the Armenian Apostolic Church and who converted the king to Christianity and therefore Armenia.

Its circular design was unique at the time and influenced the construction of many buildings afterwards. It’s now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. What remains at the site today are ruins as it was destroyed by an earthquake in the 10th century.

It’s located about 12 miles outside of Yerevan is a popular place to visit due to it’s (usually) incredible view. We unfortunately visited on a rainy day and had almost zero visibility, but this is an iconic location due to the framing of Mount Ararat beyond the ruins.

The mountain lines up perfectly behind the temple ruins and is a popular photo for photographers and postcards. If you visit on a clear day, you’ll have a beautiful view.

One of the more interesting monasteries in Armenia to visit is the Noravank Monastery. What makes it unique is that it was actually built in a narrow gorge to blend into the surroundings using the rocks from the steep, reddish cliffs behind it.

There are some beautiful views of the gorge. The chapel hall has a vaulted ceiling and you’ll find some intricately carved Armenian crosses on the walls of the monastery.

One of the most beautiful churches in Georgia is the Gergeti Trinity Church. While the church itself is fairly modest, it’s the view that puts it so high on the list. It has one of the most stunning views you’ll see as the church sits high up in the mountains in front of Mount Kazbek.

The town of Stepantsminda is below in the valley and you can get stunning mountain views from the platform surrounding the church. It’s at an elevation of 2,170 m (7,120 ft) and Mount Kazbek is Georgia’s 3rd highest mountain.

If you’re an avid hiker, you can also hike up to the church on a climb that will take about an hour and a half. Otherwise, you can drive right up to it.

The Etchmisdzin Cathedral is the most important cathedral in all of Armenia. It’s Armenia’s first cathedral and it’s often referred to as the oldest cathedral in the world. Our guide referenced it as the ‘Vatican of Armenia’. The patriarch of Armenia (similar to the Pope) lives on the premises next to the cathedral.

It was built in the 4th century by Gregory the Illuminator (a name you’ll hear often in Armenia’s history). And interestingly, the cathedral was built on top of a Pagan cathedral which was to symbolize Armenian’s conversion from Paganism to Christianity.

Its interior is temporarily under some reconstruction, so we weren’t able to see inside, but we were able to get a glimpse of the painted entryway.

Another interesting monastery in Armenia is the Geghard Monastery which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Inside the medieval complex is several churches and tombs to explore. At one point, it was called Ayrivank, meaning ‘Monastery in the Cave’, as it’s partly carved into the rock cliffs next to it.

There are several different rooms to discover and stone tunnels that open up to vaulted areas. When we visited, there was a group of singers demonstrating how the acoustics could be heard through the stone walls.

The Dariali Monastery complex is another monastery tucked into the surrounding mountains but it’s different than the rest in that it’s much newer. Construction started in just 2005 and there are still future plans to expand it.

The monks at this monastery have been directly involved in the construction and planning. There’s even a gift shop inside the main church that has arts and crafts made by the monks there.

This monastery is also located right next to the Kazbegi-Larsi border crossing between Georgia and Russia. While walking up to the monastery, you can actually see the road leading between the mountains and the border crossing is just on the other side.

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There are so many beautiful monasteries in Armenia and Georgia to visit while traveling through the Caucasus. And even though there are numerous complexes to see, one of the favorite parts for me was seeing where they were built. The landscape in Georgia and Armenia is really beautiful and the locations were really worth visiting.

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