Lake Sevan Sevan Monastery Khatchkars Gawar Ajravank monastery Friends

The Lake Sevan, 120 km northeast of Erivan, belongs to three Armenian Seas, how the lakes Van, Urmia and Sevan are called by the armenians. Lake Sevan is the largest alpine lake of the world and today it is the biggest water reservoir of Armenia, still suffering from big waterprojects in soviet times.

    Sevan is closer to the sky than to the earth




Erected on an island in the lake, (this island now is a peninsula since the waterlevel of the lake sank), the Sevan Monastery offers one of the pittoresque views for which Armenia is famous. Two of the three churches, founded in 874, are left.

And, like everywhere in Armenia, a site like this played an important role in the armenian history: here King Aschot Bagratuni defeated the arab troops in 925, an important step to Armenian Independence.

Lake Sevan is also a place of Khatchkars, and at the cemetery of Noratous you will find hundreds of these cross-stones, which are so unique for armenian culture.





Near to this monastery is the house of Avet Terterian, the place, where the great composer worked.

Let me introduce this quiet place, a real retreat.



My short report would be incomplete without a short report about our stay at Gavar. We had been invited to a party, we listened to Terterian's Third Symphony and we met Anna Mayillian, when she sang in the Church at the sunday morning.


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