Makenyats Monastery
Medieval monastery above the village of Makenis
- Area Gegharkunik
- Type Monastery
- Time needed 30m
A medieval monastery on the slope above the village of Makenis, inland from the southern shore of Lake Sevan. It is an off-the-route site visited mostly by people working through the lesser-known churches of Gegharkunik.
Open in the planner →Getting there
About 131 km from Yerevan, roughly 2h 23m by car, turning up from the southern lake road through the village. The last part of the approach is rough and best taken slowly.
What you see
A cluster of stone buildings on sloping ground: the main church with its drum and conical roof, adjoining structures in varying states of repair, and loose carved blocks lying about. Khachkars and grave slabs sit among the grass around the walls. The view back down the valley towards the lake is part of the appeal.
What to pair it with
Sensible to combine with Vanevan Monastery on the same southern loop, and with the Selim pass if you are continuing to Vayots Dzor.
When to go
Late spring to October. Snow and mud make the village approach awkward in winter, and the site has no shelter.
What is hard about it
The access track is poor, parts of the complex are ruined rather than restored, and there is nothing on site to explain what you are looking at. Allow for the possibility of finding the church locked.
Common questions
Do I need a high-clearance vehicle?
In dry weather a careful driver in an ordinary car usually manages. After rain or snow, clearance helps.
Is anyone there to let me in?
Not reliably. Asking in the village is the usual route, and arrangements are informal. [VERIFY — confirm current details]
Is it better than Vanevan?
They are comparable in scale. Makenyats has the more interesting setting; Vanevan is the easier drive.
Nearby
- SevanavankPeninsula monastery above the largest lake in the Caucasus
- Lake SevanVast high-altitude lake, beaches and fish restaurants
- HayravankLakeside monastery on a rocky outcrop
- Noratus CemeteryField of nearly a thousand medieval khachkars
- Vanevan Monastery10th-century church near the lake's southern shore
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