Geghard

Geghard is in Armenia, a country of mountains. It stands in a valley with tall rocky cliffs all around.

Some of its rooms were carved out of the rock, like giant caves.

Geghard stands at the head of the Azat Valley in Armenia, in a landscape UNESCO calls of great natural beauty. High cliffs close it in on the north side, and a defensive wall encircles the rest.

The monastery has churches and tombs, and most of them are carved into the solid rock. Its early name was Ayrivank, 'the Monastery in the Cave', because of these rock-cut rooms.

UNESCO describes a complex of medieval buildings set in a landscape of great natural beauty at the entrance to the Azat Valley, enclosed by high cliffs on the north side and a defensive wall around the rest. It contains a number of churches and tombs, most of them cut into the living rock, which illustrate Armenian medieval architecture at its highest point.

In its early period, UNESCO notes, the monastery was called Ayrivank, the 'Monastery in the Cave', because of its rock-cut construction. It was inscribed in 2000 together with the upper Azat Valley.

Inside the rock churches it is dim. Some domes have a round hole at the top that lets in light.

The walls are carved with patterns and animals.

One rock-cut tomb hall copies the shape of an entrance hall built of stone blocks, but it was carved out of the cliff. The second rock church has a round opening at the top of its dome.

The entrance hall beside the main church has a dome carved into many small, hanging shapes, like icicles. ICOMOS calls it the most perfect example of this technique anywhere in Armenia.

ICOMOS explains that the gavit, the entrance hall added about ten years after the main church, follows in stone the form of a traditional house whose wooden roof had a central opening to admit light; its central space is crowned by a dome with stalactite carving, which ICOMOS calls the most perfect example of this technique anywhere in Armenia. The second rock-cut tomb hall copies the form of a gavit in the living rock.

The walls of the second rock-cut church carry relief decoration with animals among other motifs. UNESCO judges the complex an exceptionally well preserved and complete example of medieval Armenian monastic architecture, whose innovations had a profound influence on later building in the region.

In this photo, we look down on the monastery. A church with a pointed roof stands among old stone buildings, with rocky cliffs and green trees all around.

This photo was taken on 2 October 2016, from high on the valley side. The main church, with its tall pointed dome, stands in the middle, with big rocks right behind it. Round towers and gray-roofed buildings line the outer wall, and visitors walk in the courtyard.

A long stone wall climbs the hillside behind, and steep cliffs rise on the left.

The photograph (2 October 2016, by Diego Delso, a Quality Image on Commons) looks down into the walled precinct: the main church with its drum and conical dome against the rock outcrop into which the rock-cut halls are carved, round towers and later buildings along the enclosure, a courtyard with visitors, a stone wall running up the slope and cliffs on the left.

UNESCO notes that residential and farm buildings were added later, in the 17th century.