Geghard is one of the most famous monasteries in Armenia.
His fame is due to the visual effect, the presence of cave temples, rare for Armenia, the proximity of Yerevan and Garni.
It is believed that the monastery appeared in the very first years of Armenian Christianity. At that time, he had the appearance of several caves in the rock and it seems that Gregory the Illuminator himself lived here for a while.
In later epochs, some buildings appeared here, but two Arab invasions – in the 9th and 10th centuries – destroyed everything. A new phase in the life of the monastery began several years after the death of Queen Tamara. In 1215, the princes Mkhargrdzeli built the main temple here, and in 6-7 years a gavit was attached to it, which was partially carved into the rock. After another 20 years, three temples were carved into the rock behind the temple. All this made Gegard a bit like Vardzia.
After Mkhargrdzeli the monastery fell into the hands of the Proshianov clan, who made it a family tomb. In 1288 they built the so-called “Gavit Papak” – it seems to be the only gavit in all of Armenia, fully carved into the rock.
Already a century in the XVII century, the monastery was surrounded by outbuildings.
Geghard is one of the most famous monasteries in Armenia.
