Khor Virap Monastery

Khor Virap is an ancient Armenian monastery at the foot of Mount Ararat near Artashat. Its name means Deep Dungeon: the site originally contained a prison beneath the monastery. The first chapel was built here in 642, while two major churches and stone walls were added in 1662, giving the complex its present appearance. The Church of the Holy Mother of God follows a cross-in-square plan, and a staircase in the Chapel of Saint Gregory leads down to the underground prison. Khachkars—carved stone crosses preserving Armenia's spiritual and cultural heritage—decorate the walls. Khor Virap is a place where history and faith meet in stone beneath the sacred mountain.

Legend says that Saint Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned here for 13 years before converting King Tiridates III to Christianity around 301. He survived because a local woman secretly brought him a piece of bread every day.