Places

Sevanavank Monastery: history, what to see, how to get there

Sevanavank is an active monastery on the Sevan Peninsula, in the north-east of the town of Sevan: 68.4 km and about 63 minutes without traffic from Republic Square in Yerevan. Until the 1950s the peninsula was an island. On the hilltop, about 1,940 m above sea level, stand two 9th-century churches, and next to them the walls of a gavit, the foundation of a third church and khachkars: the state list records 55 khachkars in the complex. Entry is free and there is no ticket office; a staircase leads from the parking to the churches — 200 to 230 steps by different counts. On the “Lake Sevan & Tsaghkadzor” trip the monastery is the first stop, with 60 minutes set aside for it: 6.5 hours, 39,000 AMD for a sedan or 55,000 AMD for a minivan, the price for the whole car. The lake, swimming and winter are in the article “Lake Sevan”; this one is about the monastery itself: who built it, where to look for the inscriptions and khachkars, and how to fit the visit into an hour.

Published November 12, 2026 · Facts checked November 12, 2026 · 10 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan

Panorama of Sevanavank Monastery: two dark tuff churches with conical domes and old foundations on a green hillside above blue Lake Sevan, with green hills across the water and white clouds in a sunny sky

At a glance

Region: Sevan Peninsula, Sevan town, Gegharkunik Province
Opening hours: Not confirmed — check on site
Tickets: Free entry. There is no ticket office: the BarevTrip catalogue marks the stop as free and 2026 guidebooks say the same; the monastery publishes no official tariff. Parking at the foot of the peninsula and the toilet next to it are paid; no official tariffs are published
Time to visit: 60–90 min
Season: There are no seasonal closures. The hilltop is windy and cooler than Yerevan even in summer; in winter the steps can be icy. In summer the large groups arrive later — a guidebook advises being there before 10:00
Restrictions: A stone staircase leads from the parking to the churches — 200–230 steps by different counts, with a handrail on the lowest flight; there is no route for wheelchairs or pushchairs. It is an active monastery: guidebooks advise covering shoulders and knees; we found no rule on headscarves for women

checked November 12, 2026

Contents

What it is and where it stands
History by date
What to see on site and nearby
Hours and tickets
How to get there from Yerevan and how long it takes
When to go
What to combine in one day
By tradition
What to check on site

What it is and where it stands

The monastic complex “Sevan Monastery” stands on the hilltop of the Sevan Peninsula, by the north-western shore of the lake. In the state list of monuments of Gegharkunik Province it is entry 4.4/18, dated to the 9th–20th centuries, with the status of a monument of republican significance. The monastery is active: both surviving churches are open to worshippers, and the Vazgenian Seminary operates near the northern slope.

Until the 1950s the hill was an island: the level of Lake Sevan was lowered artificially, and the island joined the shore. How and why the water was drained, and where the lake level stands now, is in the article Lake Sevan: Sevanavank, swimming and winter.

Parameter	Value
Province, town	Gegharkunik Province, north-east of the town of Sevan
From central Yerevan	68.4 km by road, about 63 minutes without traffic
Elevation	about 1,940 m, the hilltop
Protection status	monument of republican significance, entry 4.4/18 of the state list
On the hill	two 9th-century churches, the walls of a gavit, the foundation of a third church, a cemetery with khachkars

Value

Province, town: Gegharkunik Province, north-east of the town of Sevan
From central Yerevan: 68.4 km by road, about 63 minutes without traffic
Elevation: about 1,940 m, the hilltop
Protection status: monument of republican significance, entry 4.4/18 of the state list
On the hill: two 9th-century churches, the walls of a gavit, the foundation of a third church, a cemetery with khachkars

Sevan Peninsula with Sevanavank Monastery on its green hilltop, seen through sea buckthorn branches across the calm blue water of Lake Sevan, with distant mountains on the left — The peninsula with the monastery seen from the lake: until the 1950s this was an island

History by date

The monastery took shape in the 9th century under the vardapet Mashtots Yeghivardetsi, catholicos in 897–898, who founded a theological school here. Ringed by a fortress wall, the island served as a refuge: during the Arab raids Armenian kings and princes more than once waited out the danger here.

Year	What happened
874	the year of both churches according to the state list; their construction is linked with Princess Mariam, daughter of Ashot Bagratuni, the future king, and widow of Vasak Gabur, prince of Syunik; a donation inscription of 874 is on the drum of the small church
921–925	King Ashot II Yerkat (the Iron) takes refuge on the island and defeats the army of the Arab commander Beshir; sources give different years, from 921 to 925
1451	the vardapet Daniel founds a school at the monastery
1653	the stone carver Trdat carves the khachkar “Crucifixion”; in the mid-19th century it is brought here from the village of Norashen
1692–1695	Mkhitar Sebastatsi, the future founder of the Mekhitarist congregation, studies here
1850s	by order of Catholicos Nerses V, the ban on women entering the monastery grounds is lifted
1901	the monastery is dissolved; two parish churches remain
until the 1930s	the gavit of the large church stands; afterwards only its walls remain
1950s	the island becomes a peninsula
1956–1957	restoration of the churches; the next one in the 1990s
1990	a theological seminary opens; since 1994 it bears the name of Catholicos Vazgen I

What happened

874: the year of both churches according to the state list; their construction is linked with Princess Mariam, daughter of Ashot Bagratuni, the future king, and widow of Vasak Gabur, prince of Syunik; a donation inscription of 874 is on the drum of the small church
921–925: King Ashot II Yerkat (the Iron) takes refuge on the island and defeats the army of the Arab commander Beshir; sources give different years, from 921 to 925
1451: the vardapet Daniel founds a school at the monastery
1653: the stone carver Trdat carves the khachkar “Crucifixion”; in the mid-19th century it is brought here from the village of Norashen
1692–1695: Mkhitar Sebastatsi, the future founder of the Mekhitarist congregation, studies here
1850s: by order of Catholicos Nerses V, the ban on women entering the monastery grounds is lifted
1901: the monastery is dissolved; two parish churches remain
until the 1930s: the gavit of the large church stands; afterwards only its walls remain
1950s: the island becomes a peninsula
1956–1957: restoration of the churches; the next one in the 1990s
1990: a theological seminary opens; since 1994 it bears the name of Catholicos Vazgen I

The monastery was also a centre of writing: 26 manuscripts copied here in the 15th–19th centuries are known, and more than 100 manuscripts of the 10th–19th centuries from the monastery library are kept today in the Matenadaran in Yerevan.

What to see on site and nearby

Both churches on the hilltop are of one type: triconchs. Three arms of the cross end in semicircular apses, the western one is rectangular, and over the crossing rises an octagonal drum under a conical roof. There is almost no carving outside; the walls are built of roughly dressed dark stone with wide joints of white lime mortar. The churches stand close together, a few dozen paces apart.

The sources disagree on the churches’ names: the state list calls them Surb Arakelots (Holy Apostles) and Surb Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God), the Orthodox Encyclopedia calls them Surb Karapet and Surb Arakelots, and maps and guidebooks label the buildings in different ways. So below are the features that make the churches easy to tell apart on site.

What	How to recognise it	What to look at
Small church	smaller and, in the researchers’ view, older; the transition to the dome rests on four squinches, niches in the corners of the square under the dome	outside on the drum, inscriptions of 874, 903, 1613, 1654 and 1750; over the altar window, an equal-armed cross
Large church	bigger, with more finely dressed stone; the drum, octagonal outside and round inside, rests on pendentives, a rarity for 9th–10th-century buildings in Gegharkunik	the gavit walls adjoin it on the west
Gavit (narthex)	walls in front of the western entrance of the large church	four columns carried the wooden roof; per the state list there are 36 khachkars in the gavit
Khachkar “Crucifixion”	by the altar of one of the churches, per the state list Surb Arakelots	1653, the stone carver Trdat; brought from the village of Norashen in the mid-19th century
Khachkars by the staircase	about 100 m west of the churches	among them, ones dated 1212 and 1462
Foundation of a third church	about 40 m north-east of the large church	per the state list, Surb Harutyun
Viewpoints	about 165 and 300 m east of the large church	a view of the lake and the mountains on the far shore
Vazgenian Seminary	about 150 m north, seen from outside	opened in 1990

How to recognise it

Small church: smaller and, in the researchers’ view, older; the transition to the dome rests on four squinches, niches in the corners of the square under the dome
Large church: bigger, with more finely dressed stone; the drum, octagonal outside and round inside, rests on pendentives, a rarity for 9th–10th-century buildings in Gegharkunik
Gavit (narthex): walls in front of the western entrance of the large church
Khachkar “Crucifixion”: by the altar of one of the churches, per the state list Surb Arakelots
Khachkars by the staircase: about 100 m west of the churches
Foundation of a third church: about 40 m north-east of the large church
Viewpoints: about 165 and 300 m east of the large church
Vazgenian Seminary: about 150 m north, seen from outside

What to look at

Small church: outside on the drum, inscriptions of 874, 903, 1613, 1654 and 1750; over the altar window, an equal-armed cross
Large church: the gavit walls adjoin it on the west
Gavit (narthex): four columns carried the wooden roof; per the state list there are 36 khachkars in the gavit
Khachkar “Crucifixion”: 1653, the stone carver Trdat; brought from the village of Norashen in the mid-19th century
Khachkars by the staircase: among them, ones dated 1212 and 1462
Foundation of a third church: per the state list, Surb Harutyun
Viewpoints: a view of the lake and the mountains on the far shore
Vazgenian Seminary: opened in 1990

In total the state list records 55 khachkars in the complex: in a church, in the gavit and in the cemetery around the churches; the earliest date from the 9th–10th centuries, and the dated ones range from 1212 to 1653.

Sevanavank Monastery from above: a dark tuff church with a tall conical dome in front and a smaller church behind, with old foundations and paths between them, and Lake Sevan, green hills and mountains beyond under heavy grey clouds — The large church with the small one behind it; between them, old walls and foundations

Part of the monastery’s furnishings is in museums: the carved wooden capitals of the gavit columns are kept in the History Museum of Armenia and in the Hermitage, and the History Museum also holds two carved doors, one of them from 1486.

Hours and tickets

The monastery publishes no official schedule. According to guidebooks, the grounds are open every day, and both churches are usually open in daylight. In the BarevTrip catalog the stop “Sevanavank Monastery and lake viewpoint” is marked as free.

What	How it works
Grounds and churches	entry is free, no ticket office
Hours	no official schedule; in daylight the churches are usually open
Parking at the foot of the peninsula	paid; for BarevTrip guests it is included in the price of the car, like fuel and water
Toilet by the parking	paid, on site

How it works

Grounds and churches: entry is free, no ticket office
Hours: no official schedule; in daylight the churches are usually open
Parking at the foot of the peninsula: paid; for BarevTrip guests it is included in the price of the car, like fuel and water
Toilet by the parking: paid, on site

Sevanavank has no entrance tickets, and cash in drams will come in handy for the toilet and coffee at the foot. On trips with the Tsaghkadzor ropeway, its ticket is paid on site: it is not included in the price of the trip.

How to get there from Yerevan and how long it takes

From Republic Square to the parking at the foot of the peninsula it is 68.4 km, about 63 minutes without traffic. The staircase to the monastery starts about 60 m from the parking: several stone flights, about 215 m in a straight line from the parking to the churches and, by different counts, 200 to 230 steps; the lowest flight has a handrail. There is no route for a wheelchair or a pushchair.

Stage	Distance	Time
Yerevan, Republic Square → parking at the peninsula	68.4 km	about 63 min without traffic
Parking → churches by the staircase	about 215 m in a straight line, 200–230 steps	5–10 min climb
Visiting the two churches	—	30–60 min
Walk to the viewpoints and photographs	up to 300 m east of the churches	the whole visit, up to 1.5 h

Distance

Yerevan, Republic Square → parking at the peninsula: 68.4 km
Parking → churches by the staircase: about 215 m in a straight line, 200–230 steps
Visiting the two churches: —
Walk to the viewpoints and photographs: up to 300 m east of the churches

Time

Yerevan, Republic Square → parking at the peninsula: about 63 min without traffic
Parking → churches by the staircase: 5–10 min climb
Visiting the two churches: 30–60 min
Walk to the viewpoints and photographs: the whole visit, up to 1.5 h

The catalog trips set aside 60 minutes for the monastery. By guidebook estimates, an hour covers the climb and an unhurried look at both churches; a walk to the far viewpoint and photographs stretch the visit to an hour and a half. If you want to stay longer, waiting beyond what is included counts as one surcharge at a rate known before booking.

Lake Sevan from the Sevanavank hill in spring: a slope of yellow wildflowers and red poppies, the peninsula shore with boats and trees, and snow-streaked mountains across the water — From the hill you can see the base of the peninsula: the parking, cafés and piers below

When to go

All five catalog trips with Sevanavank are open all year round. The hilltop is windy and cooler than Yerevan even in summer: guidebooks advise a windbreaker. In winter the steps can be icy, so you need shoes with non-slip soles. The drivers of the BarevTrip fleet have at least 5 years of experience and have driven across Armenia’s regions, including on mountain roads and in winter conditions.

When	What to keep in mind
In summer	the large groups arrive later: a guidebook advises being there before 10:00
In winter	the steps can be icy, and a cold wind blows on the hilltop
In the morning	soft light for photographs; where the monastery is the first stop, with a 09:00 pickup you are there at about 10:00, with an 08:00 pickup at about 09:00
Before sunset	the second good time for photographs, by a guidebook’s estimate

What to keep in mind

In summer: the large groups arrive later: a guidebook advises being there before 10:00
In winter: the steps can be icy, and a cold wind blows on the hilltop
In the morning: soft light for photographs; where the monastery is the first stop, with a 09:00 pickup you are there at about 10:00, with an 08:00 pickup at about 09:00
Before sunset: the second good time for photographs, by a guidebook’s estimate

Pickup is at your hotel or address at the time you choose, 09:00 by default. Weather on the lake, water temperature and ice are in the article Lake Sevan.

What to combine in one day

Sevanavank is part of five trips in the catalog, and each sets aside 60 minutes for it. The time of day depends on its place in the programme: on the first two trips in the table it is the morning, on the trips with Garni and Geghard it is the afternoon.

Trip	Sevanavank in the programme	Hours, km	Sedan / minivan, for the whole car
Lake Sevan & Tsaghkadzor	the first of four stops	6.5 h, 150 km	39,000 / 55,000 AMD
Lake Sevan, Dilijan & Parz Lake	the first of six, one of them optional	8 h, 250 km	on the trip page
Tsaghkadzor, Lake Sevan & Dilijan	the third of five, after the ropeway	9 h, 270 km	49,000 / 69,000 AMD
Garni, Geghard & Lake Sevan	the fifth of six, before Tsaghkadzor	9 h, 200 km	on the trip page
Garni, Geghard, Lavash & Lake Sevan	the last of six, after the lavash-baking masterclass	9 h, 230 km	54,000 / 72,000 AMD

Sevanavank in the programme

Lake Sevan & Tsaghkadzor: the first of four stops
Lake Sevan, Dilijan & Parz Lake: the first of six, one of them optional
Tsaghkadzor, Lake Sevan & Dilijan: the third of five, after the ropeway
Garni, Geghard & Lake Sevan: the fifth of six, before Tsaghkadzor
Garni, Geghard, Lavash & Lake Sevan: the last of six, after the lavash-baking masterclass

Hours, km

Lake Sevan & Tsaghkadzor: 6.5 h, 150 km
Lake Sevan, Dilijan & Parz Lake: 8 h, 250 km
Tsaghkadzor, Lake Sevan & Dilijan: 9 h, 270 km
Garni, Geghard & Lake Sevan: 9 h, 200 km
Garni, Geghard, Lavash & Lake Sevan: 9 h, 230 km

Sedan / minivan, for the whole car

Lake Sevan & Tsaghkadzor: 39,000 / 55,000 AMD
Lake Sevan, Dilijan & Parz Lake: on the trip page
Tsaghkadzor, Lake Sevan & Dilijan: 49,000 / 69,000 AMD
Garni, Geghard & Lake Sevan: on the trip page
Garni, Geghard, Lavash & Lake Sevan: 54,000 / 72,000 AMD

If you want the lake as well as the monastery, “Lake Sevan & Tsaghkadzor” fits: after the monastery the programme has 45 minutes by the water, with a fish lunch on request, paid on site. Dilijan and the places around it are in the article Dilijan, and Geghard in the article Geghard Monastery. Whether you can see Lake Sevan and Dilijan in one day is covered in the answer on Sevan and Dilijan. Sevan together with places outside the catalog is a custom route: an estimate within two hours, around the clock; it is a request for an estimate, not a booking. How booking and payment work is on the page how it works.

By tradition

The traditions about Gregory the Illuminator, the year 305 and Mashtots’s dream are retold in the article Lake Sevan. The catalog of the American University of Armenia records two more folk explanations of the lake’s name.

“Sa e van” — “here is a place for a monastery”. By tradition, when Gregory the Illuminator set up a cross and the first church here, the place was called “Sa e van”, and supposedly that is where “Sevan” comes from.
“Sev Van” — “black Van”. Settlers from Van first took this shore for a second Van, but could not bear the cold climate and bitterly called it “black Van”: “sev” is Armenian for “black”.

What is certain is something else: both churches on the hill date from the 9th century, the state list dates them to 874, and a donation inscription of the same year survives on the drum of the small church. The explanations of the name and the year 305 are traditions. If you want to hear these stories on site, add a guide to the trip: the driver does not give tours.

What to check on site

Which church is which. The sources name the churches differently; the 1653 khachkar is by an altar, so check both churches.
Whether the churches are open. There is no schedule; in daylight the churches are usually open.
Clothing. Guidebooks advise covering shoulders and knees; we found no rule on headscarves for women.
Photos and drones. The monastery publishes no rules, so ask on site.
The staircase in winter. The steps can be icy: you need shoes with non-slip soles.
Toilet. Paid, by the parking: keep small change in drams.

Photos

The two churches of Sevanavank Monastery seen from above, with ruined walls and visitors in the courtyard; behind them, the blue water of Lake Sevan and snow-capped mountains in spring.

A church of Sevanavank Monastery with a conical dome behind a dark stone wall, white clouds in a deep blue sky, visitors at the entrance and wildflowers in the grass in May.

Aerial view of Sevanavank Monastery on the Sevan Peninsula: two dark stone churches with ruins around them, autumn hillsides, deep blue Lake Sevan and a band of low clouds over the mountains.

Sevan Peninsula across the blue water of Lake Sevan: autumn trees line the shore, the churches of Sevanavank Monastery stand on the ridge, and mountains rise on the horizon.

Sevanavank Monastery from above: two dark tuff churches with conical domes and old foundations between them above the Lake Sevan shore, with boats, cafés and a car park below and mountains under a dark storm cloud across the turquoise water

Questions about this trip

How many steps are there to the churches, and is the climb suitable for children and older travellers?

A stone staircase of several flights leads to the churches: about 215 m in a straight line from the parking and, by different counts, 200 to 230 steps; the lowest flight has a handrail. There is no route for a wheelchair or a pushchair. You can climb at your own pace: 60 minutes are set aside for the monastery, and the climb itself, by a guidebook’s estimate, takes 5–10 minutes. A child seat in the car is free on request and required for children under 7; the seat type comes with the confirmation.

Do I need to cover my shoulders and head?

The monastery is active but publishes no rules for visitors. Guidebooks advise covering shoulders and knees; we found no rule on headscarves for women. A light scarf and a sweater will be useful anyway: the hilltop is windy and cooler than Yerevan even in summer.

Will the driver explain the inscriptions and khachkars?

No, the driver does not give tours: under Armenia’s Law on Tourism that is a guide’s job. A qualified guide can be added to a trip for a fixed surcharge, shown on the trip page.

Is an hour enough, and can we stay longer?

All five trips in the catalog set aside 60 minutes for Sevanavank. A guidebook estimates the climb at 5–10 minutes, a visit to the two churches at 30–60 minutes and, with a walk and photographs, up to an hour and a half. Waiting beyond what is included is one surcharge at a rate known before booking; on the road, the dispatcher confirms the change and names the terms. You can change the order of the stops by telling the driver at the start of the trip.

What is paid on site?

Entry to Sevanavank is free, and parking at the foot of the peninsula is included in the price of the car, like fuel and water. On site you pay for the toilet by the parking and for food; on trips with the Tsaghkadzor ropeway, also for its ticket, which is not included in the price. You pay nothing before confirmation and there is no deposit; after confirmation the trip is paid by card via a link or in cash to the driver after the trip.