Tatev Great Hermitage
Fortified hermitage in the gorge below Tatev
- Area Syunik
- Type Monastery
- Time needed 45m
A fortified hermitage down in the Vorotan gorge below Tatev Monastery, enclosed by high walls with towers. It was a retreat for monks from the main monastery and is now partly ruined, which is much of why it is interesting to visit.
Open in the planner →Getting there
About 243 km from Yerevan, roughly 4h 25m by car, with the final descent into the gorge on a rough unsurfaced track. Most visitors come from Tatev or from the old road near the Devil's Bridge.
What you see
A walled compound with round corner towers, a church and the shells of cells and service rooms inside. Vegetation has taken hold in parts of the courtyard, and some sections have been consolidated while others are open to the sky. The gorge walls rise steeply on either side.
What to pair it with
Done as a pair with Tatev Monastery above it, with the Devil's Bridge and the Wings of Tatev cableway nearby.
When to go
Dry weather only, for the track. Late spring through autumn is the practical window, and mornings are cooler in the gorge in summer.
What is hard about it
The access track is the main obstacle: it is steep, loose and can be impassable after rain. The site is also genuinely ruinous, so visitors expecting a restored monastery like Tatev will find the contrast sharp.
Common questions
Can I walk down from Tatev?
There are walking routes down into the gorge used by locals and hikers, but they are steep, unsigned and best not attempted on a whim.
Is a 4x4 necessary?
Strongly advisable. Ordinary cars do reach it in dry conditions, but the track punishes low clearance.
Is there an entrance or caretaker?
No formal arrangements have been reported, and there are no published hours. [VERIFY — confirm current details]
Nearby
- Tatev Monastery9th-century monastery on a cliff above the Vorotan gorge
- Wings of TatevRecord-breaking 5.7 km reversible cable car to Tatev
- Karahunj (Zorats Karer)Prehistoric standing stones, sometimes called Armenian Stonehenge
- Shaki Waterfall18-metre waterfall near Sisian
- Old KhndzoreskCave village linked by a swinging footbridge
- VorotnavankFortified monastery on the Vorotan river
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