Sevan Monastery

Savan, Armenia is the closest region to Georgia, where there are not many people and tourists, and it is because of this that it is full of exploration. The architectural style here is Caucasian.

Saifan Abbey is located on a small peninsula on the shore of Lake Saifan, which is said to be just an island in the center of the lake. It is now the appearance of human construction. He was built in the ninth century AD. Commonly known as the Black Church.

Saifan monastery, also known as the "black monastery", is located on the top of the mountain next to Lake Saifan, built in the ninth century, in the wind, frost and snow for a full 11th century, I don't know how many caravan on the Silk Road pass by here. At present, the monastery is empty, only the cross in the courtyard records the glory of the past. Early morning and dusk are the most beautiful times of Lake Sevan, the monastery is solemn and quiet, the sky outlines the hard lines of the weather, simple and elegant, quiet standing on the edge of Lake Sevan, telling the believers thousands of years of unswerving faith. The brick wall has been through the wind and frost, but the wind has not decreased, but more heavy feeling of history, although the monastery in the sun seems a bit dilapidated, but it seems that only this can reflect its charm. Many people who had just begun to understand Armenia were impressed by the Sevan monastery on this postcard.

The monastery is located on the former island of Sevan in Lake Sevan. The island has now become a peninsula because of the Soviet-era water conservancy projects that lowered the water level of Lake Sevan. The monastery was built in the 9th century AD. The existing buildings are the lower St. Apostle Church and the higher St. Mother Church, which are larger and have many monuments preserved. The two churches are simple and square in shape and are very atmospheric. Worth a visit.

Leave the city of Zakarzor after breakfast for the Lake Saifan monastery. More than 30 minutes by car. The monastery was long ago on an isolated island and people needed to take a boat to visit it up close. The Soviet government during Stalin's rule decided to pump the water from Lake Saifan to other arid areas. After the water level fell 20 meters, the island became a peninsula connected to the main road and remains to this day. The monastery was built in 874 AD and was built by Princess Mariam, daughter of Ashot I. At that time Armenia was trying to escape Arab rule.

Then we drove on to Lake Sevan for about 40 kilometers, taking 40 minutes, and at 16:20 we arrived at the last tourist attraction of today, Sevan Abbey. This is a monastery on a peninsula highland stretching into Lake Sevan, probably because of the weekend, there are a lot of tourists here. Even the parking lot is full. We parked in the back area of the nearby vendors, then took the morning cooking and walked up the mountain steps to the peninsula highlands. It overlooks the vast Lake Sevan, and we only found out that this Lake Sevan is really big. We drove for about two hours and didn't even finish half of it, and the side of the lake seemed to be unable to see the lake. Then walk to the top of the peninsula to enjoy the scenery, and continue to walk a short distance east along the ridge path. This small roadside is full of all kinds of yellow thatched grass, which is yellow under the blue sky and white clouds this season. It is a unique view against the lake and the mountains in the distance. In addition to the lake view, we also view the monastery from different angles. The monastery today has two churches, both of which are similar in shape and have an octagonal cone top structure. One of the larger is the Church of the Saints and the other is the Church of the Virgin. Finally we went inside and visited the relatively simple interior. At 17:40 we ended up here for about 80 minutes and drove off for our destination of stay tonight, Dillian.

Not to visit Lake Sevan is not to visit Armenia, not to visit SEVANAVANK monastery is not to visit Lake Sevan, architecture, stone monuments, lake views, peninsula plants will be lingering. And you must eat the fish of Lake Sevan!