Vardenis

Vardenis

Understand Church of the Holy Mother of God City landscape Vardenis is tucked away in the southeast corner of the lake, and is not on the shore. Far from the touristy glitz of the northwest shore, and even cut off by terrible roads from the quietly popular eastern shores near Shorjha, visitors to Vardenis are those adventurers trying to see every corner of Armenia. According to historian Ghevond Alishan, prince Gaburn Vasak of the Siunia dynasty founded Vasakashen by establishing a palace on the territory of modern-day Vardenis in the 9th century, which survived until the 17th century. Vardenis is one of the oldest settlements in Armenia. Local monuments include the Makenats monastery, the basilica in Sotk, the chapels of Ayrk and Karchaghbyur, tombs of the 3rd-1st millennia BC, the Cyclopean masonry, and the medieval khachkars (intricately carved stone crosses). In the centre of Vardenis is the Church of Surp Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God), built in 1905, where the Armenian historian Hovhannes Tsaretsi worked. The church is surrounded with numerous khachkars from the 14th…

Source: Wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 4.0.