Tatev, Medieval monastery complex in Syunik Province, Armenia

Tatev Monastery sits on a basalt plateau overlooking the Vorotan River gorge and contains three churches along with various auxiliary buildings enclosed by stone walls. The complex offers views across the valley from its elevated setting.

The cathedral of Saints Paul and Peter was built between 895 and 906 by Bishop Ter Hovhannes on the site of an older church destroyed in 895, to hold the relics of the two apostles. Its consecration in 906 was attended by Catholicos Hovhannes Draskhanakerttsi and King Smbat I Bagratuni. The dome collapsed in the 1138 earthquake; drum and dome were rebuilt in 1274 and destroyed again in 1931.

The cathedral holds the tomb of Gregory of Tatev, the last canonised saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to the right of the apse. Born in 1346, he became a pupil of Hovhan Vorotnetsi at fourteen and later led the monastery for over twenty years. His sermons earned him the names John Chrysostom and Gregory the Theologian.

The Wings of Tatev aerial tramway connects the monastery to Halidzor village and provides the main access across the gorge. The grounds are walkable but uneven stone paths require sturdy footwear.

The Gavazan Column from the 10th century was built to sway with the wind and functions as a natural earthquake detector through its intentionally flexible design. Its swinging motion historically helped monks anticipate seismic activity.