Matosavank
Overgrown forest monastery inside Dilijan park
- Area Tavush
- Type Monastery
- Time needed 1h
Matosavank is a small overgrown monastery inside Dilijan National Park, a few minutes' walk off the forest path above the town. It is half swallowed by trees and moss, and the appeal is the state of it rather than the architecture.
Open in the planner →Getting there
About 96 km from Yerevan, roughly 1h 44m of driving to Dilijan, then a forest walk of twenty to thirty minutes from the edge of town.
What you see
A low church with a vaulted hall and a book repository stand partly collapsed, roofs green with moss and walls holed by roots. Inscriptions are cut into the stone around the doorway. There is no enclosure and no signage, so you simply walk in.
What to pair it with
Jukhtakvank is on the same walk, and both sit just above Dilijan town.
When to go
Late spring to autumn. In winter and after rain the path is slippery, and in high summer the undergrowth is dense.
What is hard about it
The site is genuinely small and badly decayed, and some visitors reach it and wonder why they bothered. The unmarked path takes some finding, and the hour allowed is mostly walking.
Common questions
Is there anything to see inside?
A little: the vaulted interior and some carved inscriptions. Bring a torch, as it is dark and partly blocked.
Can I combine it with Jukhtakvank?
Yes, the two are commonly walked together from Dilijan in a half day.
Is it safe to enter the ruins?
Tread carefully. Masonry is unconsolidated and there are no barriers or warnings.
Nearby
- Haghartsin MonasteryMonastery complex set deep in beech forest
- 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
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