Geghard, Medieval monastery in Kotayk Province, Armenia
Geghard is a medieval monastery in Kotayk Province that sits within a rocky valley, with numerous structures carved directly into the cliff faces of the Azat River gorge. The complex includes multiple chapels, rock-cut tombs, and outbuildings arranged around a central church structure.
Founded in the 4th century by Gregory the Illuminator at a sacred spring inside a cave, the monastery was first called Ayrivank. Arabs destroyed it in the 9th century, and Nasr plundered and burned it in 923. The main church was built in 1215 under the brothers Zakare and Ivane, the gavit before 1225, and the rock-cut churches from the mid-13th century under Prince Prosh Khaghbakian.
The name Geghard means "spear", after the lance kept here and first recorded in a document of 1250; pilgrims have come to it for centuries. The relic itself is now in the Echmiadzin treasury, in a gilded silver case made in 1687. Look for the Proshian eagle with a lamb in its claws carved in the rock.
The monastery stands at the end of the paved road; from the parking lot a walk lined with vendors selling sweet bread, fruit lavash and sweet sujukh leads up to the west entrance. Just before the entrance, shallow shelves in the cliff are used for throwing pebbles to make a wish. Musicians often play briefly as visitors approach.
The monastery's name, first recorded in a document of 1250, comes from the spear kept here: the weapon said to have pierced Christ, brought to Armenia by the Apostle Thaddeus. The relic now sits in the Echmiadzin treasury, in a gilded silver case made in 1687.
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