Haghartsin Monastery
Monastery complex set deep in beech forest
- Area Tavush
- Type Monastery
- Time needed 1h
Haghartsin is a monastery complex of the tenth to thirteenth centuries, set deep in beech forest above Dilijan in Tavush. Three churches, a refectory and a ruined gavit sit in a clearing on the mountainside.
Open in the planner →Getting there
About 1h50 from Yerevan, or 15 minutes from Dilijan, up a forest road 10 km east of the town. The last stretch is paved and fine in a normal car.
What you see
Surb Astvatsatsin of 1281 is the principal church, with a carved drum and a relief of two donors holding a model of the building. The refectory of 1248 beside it is the finest surviving monastic hall in Armenia, a long vaulted room on two pairs of intersecting arches. An ancient walnut tree stands in the clearing, and the forest comes right up to the walls.
What to pair it with
Goshavank and Lake Parz make a Dilijan day of it. Jukhtakvank and Matosavank are short walks from the town.
When to go
Autumn, unambiguously — the beech forest turns and the complex sits in the middle of it. Spring is green and often wet. Winter access depends on the road being cleared.
What is hard about it
The complex was given a heavy restoration funded in the 2010s and the new stonework is conspicuous, which purists dislike. It is popular with Armenian visitors at weekends. There is nothing to eat at the site itself.
Common questions
What does Haghartsin mean?
'Dance of eagles', from a tradition that eagles circled over the dome at its consecration.
How far is Haghartsin from Dilijan?
10 km, about 15 minutes by road.
How long do you need at Haghartsin?
An hour is enough for the churches and the refectory.
Nearby
- Goshavank12th-century monastery with an exquisite khachkar
- MakaravankRichly carved monastery high in the forest
- Dilijan National ParkForested park known as "Armenian Switzerland"
- Lake ParzForest lake with walking trails near Dilijan
- Nor VaragavankForest monastery above Varagavan
- JukhtakvankPair of churches in the woods near Dilijan
More of the same kind
- Geghard MonasteryPartly carved into the rock face, a UNESCO World Heritage site
- Havuts TarRuined monastery reached by a hike across the Azat gorge
- Kecharis Monastery11th-century complex in the ski town of Tsaghkadzor
- Aghjots MonasteryMonastery tucked into the Khosrov forest edge
Part of these routes
- Dilijan forestsForest monasteries, Lake Parz and the green hills of Tavush.
- Monasteries of the northThe Debed canyon, then the forests of Tavush.
- Lake Sevan and DilijanHigh lake shores, khachkar fields and the green hills of Dilijan.
- Grand tourFive days from Yerevan down to Tatev and back north through Sevan.