Kecharis Monastery
11th-century complex in the ski town of Tsaghkadzor
- Area Kotayk
- Type Monastery
- Time needed 45m
Kecharis is a monastery complex of four churches and a gavit at the edge of Tsaghkadzor, founded in the eleventh century and rebuilt after later damage. It sits among the trees on the lower slopes, within the modern resort town rather than apart from it.
Open in the planner →Getting there
About 60 km from Yerevan, roughly an hour and five minutes by road, up the valley past Hrazdan.
What you see
The main church of St Gregory is the largest, with a tall drum and a gavit attached to its west end; the smaller churches and the chapel stand close by in the same enclosure. The grey stone has been heavily restored, so the roofs and drums look newer than the walls. Khachkars and medieval gravestones are grouped around the churches.
What to pair it with
Combine with Tsaghkadzor's cable car above the town and with Lake Sevan or Sevanavank on a longer loop.
When to go
Late spring to autumn for the setting; in winter the town is busy with skiers and the monastery itself is still accessible but cold. Mornings are quietest.
What is hard about it
The restoration is thorough enough that the complex can feel like new building on old plans, and its position inside a resort town removes the isolation that makes other Armenian monasteries memorable. For many visitors it is a forty-five minute stop on the way to the cable car.
Common questions
Is it worth the drive on its own?
Not really. It makes sense combined with Tsaghkadzor's cable car or as a stop on a Sevan itinerary.
How many churches are there?
Four churches plus a gavit in the complex, of differing sizes and dates, all within the one enclosure.
Is it accessible in winter?
Yes, the town is a ski resort with maintained roads, though snow and ice around the site are a factor.
Nearby
- Garni TempleFirst-century Hellenistic temple above the Azat gorge
- Geghard MonasteryPartly carved into the rock face, a UNESCO World Heritage site
- Symphony of StonesBasalt columns lining the Garni gorge like organ pipes
- Havuts TarRuined monastery reached by a hike across the Azat gorge
- TsaghkadzorMountain resort with a cable car up Mount Teghenis
- PtghnavankRoofless 7th-century basilica above the Kasakh
More of the same kind
- Aghjots MonasteryMonastery tucked into the Khosrov forest edge
- SaghmosavankMonastery on the rim of the Kasakh canyon
- HovhannavankCanyon-edge monastery with carved portals
- Tegher MonasteryAustere 13th-century monastery on Aragats