Garni   

 

     The fortress of Garni is situated in the village of the same name in the Abovian District. That was a mighty fortress well known from chronicles (Cornelius Tacitus, Movses Khorenatsi, etc.). The structures of Garni combine elements of Hellenistic and national culture, which is an evidence of antique influences and the distinctive building traditions of the Armenian people. The artistic merit and uniqueness of its monuments place Garni among outstanding creations of architecture of world importance. Strategically, the place for building this fortress was very cleverly chosen. In very ancient times (the third millennium B.C.) a cyclopic fortress existed there. According to a cuneiform record found on the territory of Garni, the fortress was conquered by Argishti I, the king of Urartu, in the first half of the 8th century B.C. In the epoch of the Armenian rulers of the Ervandids, Artashesids and Arshakids dynasties (since the third century B.C. to the fourth century A.D.) Garni was a summer residence of the kings and the place where their troops were stationed.

Geghard

     The amazing Geghard monastery is situated 6 km from the temple at Garni and is revered throughout Armenia as one of the country's greatest spiritual and cultural centers. First called Ayrivank, or the Monastery of the Caves, the history of Geghard dates back to pre-Christian times.
     The present buildings here date back the 10th- 13th centuries, when the monastery was renamed Geghard, meaning ‘spear’ or ‘lance’ in Armenian. The association itself harkens back to the times of Jesus, when a spear was used by a Roman soldier to pierce the body of Christ during the Crucifixion. The spear was long housed at Geghard, but is now in the museum of Echmiadzin Cathedral.