Carved into the side of a mountain, UNESCO-listed Geghard Monastery is one of the most fascinating monuments in Armenia. In a remote spot beside the Azat River at the foot of soaring rocky cliffs, the monastery’s main church was built in the 13th century.
Geghard Monastery blends beautifully with the surrounding mountains
Photo: Richard Fejfar
Other chapels and monastic cells were carved directly into the rock behind the church. The walls of the caves and chapels are decorated in masterful carvings, and numerous khachkar, intricately carved stone crosses distinct to Armenia, dot the hillside.
Here, in one of the rock chapels, the acoustics make a small a cappella ensemble sound like a choir of angels.
(Top Photo: Singers perform inside Geghard Monastery.
Photo: Jake Smith)