A day tour to the monasteries on the slope of Mount Ara and above the Kasakh gorge. We start with a short hike to Tsaghkevank, the Church of St. Varvara on the slope of Mount Ara, next to a spring locals believe has healing water. The walk is about 5.5 km. Then we visit the Monastery of St. Gevorg in Mughni, a well-known pilgrimage site whose church dome was rebuilt in the 1660s. Above the Kasakh gorge stands Hovhannavank: the old St. Karapet basilica, founded according to tradition in the 4th century, and the main church of 1216–1221, whose portal shows the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins. We end at Saghmosavank, the "monastery of the Psalms", with its Zion Church of 1215–1221 and a library from 1255. On a clear day Aragats rises behind it. Bring sports shoes, comfortable clothes, a hat, water and a snack.
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