MONASTERE DE GNDEVANK

12 km west of Djermouk, on the road to Eghegnadzor, after the Ketchout water reservoir, surrounded by mountains carved with basalt organs, this monastery was founded in 936 by Princess Sophie of Siounie. "The valley of Vayots Dzor was a gemless ring; I built this church and put the missing gem there," the princess is said to have said, according to the historian Stefan Orbeli, who chronicled its construction. Completely restored, this domed church flanked by an unusual narthex with a gabled roof, can be admired in all its glory.