Tatev Monastery

One of the must see churches in Armenia. Inside is very peaceful. Cable car is also worth to try. The scenery from above is breathtaking. Don’t miss the sweets locals sell in front of the church. Especially “gata” is my favorite.

In this small country, which is not recognized by many countries, the scenery of Goris is more original, more natural, refreshing and lingering. In the deep mountain monastery, it is more interesting to explore and worth a visit.

We drove to the mountain cable car station in Tater Church, the third tourist attraction today. Buy a round-trip cable car ticket per person (about 70 yuan) in cash, which is really not cheap. A promotional sign was erected in front of the cable car station, telling tourists to enter the mountain to go to Tater Church, the distance is 16 kilometers, if it takes 40 minutes to drive, it takes 12 minutes to take the cable car. This comparison makes people feel that it is worth buying tickets. On the way to the church, we saw the winding road under our feet and felt that it was definitely a wise choice not to drive in. The cable car arrived at the upper station, the cable car came out, we according to the guide of netizens, did not go to the monastery first, but walked for about 20 minutes, bypassing a valley from another hillside viewing platform to see this monastery on the cliff. From a macro perspective, this monastery is indeed charming in the deep valleys of the mountains. It is unique to the valley cliffs with its back on the green hills. The mountain villages are also very elegantly scattered on the hillsides, which also gives the monastery a life value. The information says that the monastery was originally built in the 9th century, during which Tatev was the center of economic, political and spiritual activities in ancient Armenia. Later, until the 11th century, there were about 1,000 monks practicing here. From the macro view, we returned to the monastery under the hot sun and went inside to visit. The entire monastery is under repair and the scaffolding is very influential in the photo effect. Walking into the monastery to see the tall church is very magnificent, especially the stone pillars at the entrance are exquisitely carved, and similar monastery is the first time to see it. The site was damaged by a major earthquake in 1931, with photographs of the year in the showroom and a pillar of the courtyard surviving the year. The priests in the church also blessed tourists and believers, and people worshiped nothing less than the cathedral in the city. There are also many interconnecting rooms around the monastery's courtyard, although these rooms are empty, but they are facing the cliffs from the window or platform to see the valley and the opposite hillside scenery. The monastery was also a famous university, and in the 1st century, Tatev monastery University became one of the most important universities in Armenia during the Middle Ages. It is said that in that era, the standards of the Tatev Monastery University were unprecedented in Armenia, so the most important scholar of the time was cultivated here, and the tomb is still in the monastery, and there is his sarcophagus in the courtyard. Until the 15th century, Tatev University was still a major contributor to the advancement of science, religion, philosophy, and books in Armenia. To end our tour, we took the world's longest cable car and left this deep mountain, a historic and university-style monastery. Our next destination is Shushi in the Naka Republic, a so-called independent country that is not recognized by the international community is mostly Armenians, but the territory of Azerbaijan.

The monastery of Tatev, built in the 9th century, is a bishop on the edge of the canyon known as Syunik, during which Tatev was the economic, political, spiritual and cultural center of ancient Armenia. The main buildings of the Tatev monastery are the STS Paul and Peter Church, St. Mary's Church, St. Gregory Church. There were about 1,000 monks in the 11th century, and in the 1st century, the Tatev Monastery University was one of the most important universities in Armenia during the Middle Ages. Tatev Abbey University has Armenian and foreign studies of the Bible, the three major departments of the Bible Art and Music Studies, which include the humanities and social sciences, the study of philosophy, sacrifice, grammar, literature, history, art design of books, miniature paintings and mural paintings, Ancient music and musicology. At that time, the standards of running Tatev Monastery University were unprecedented in Armenia, so the most important scholars of the time were cultivated here, and the tomb is still in the monastery. In the 14th century, the university was the main cultural center of Armenia, and until the 15th century, it still contributed greatly to the advancement of Armenian science, religion, philosophy, and books.

It's so beautiful, it's still a mysterious religious color