TSAKHATS KAR MONASTERY

25 km north of Eghegnadzor, on the road to the Selim Pass, beyond the modest village of Egheguis, which occupies the site of a medieval town that has kept some remains dating back to the time of the Orbelian princely dynasty (13th-14th centuries), one can admire the remains of the monastery of Tsakhats Kar. Composed of two monumental groups, scattered in the pastures, it was founded by the Bagratide king Abas in the 10th century. The complex was enlarged in the following century by the local lords Vasakian, whose fortress of Smbataberd can be seen nearby