Day tour Armenia – Akhtala monastery, Haghpat, Sanahin, Odzun church

Odzun Church is an Armenian basilica constructed around the 5th–7th century in the Odzun village of the Lori Province of Armenia. The first church appeared here in the 6th century. In the 8th century it was reconstructed by Hovhannes III Odznetsi who served as the katholikos between 717 and 728 and was, as his name suggests, from Odzun. This is the time the church got its current form of a pink felsite basilica with three naves, the two side naves being narrow. At the northern (not preserved anymore) and southern side there are unusual arcaded cloisters and the west cloister has a blind wall with an arched entrance in the middle. This is one of only two such funerary monuments in Armenia. The one located in Odzun was given as a gift to Armenia from an Indian king around the 8th century. The other one is situated in Aghudi in

Akhtala also known as Pghindzavank meaning Coppermine Monastery is a 10th-century Armenian Apostolic monastery located in the town of Akhtala in the marz of Lori, 185 kilometers (115 mi) north of Yerevan and 87 kilometers south of Tbilisi . The monastery is currently inactive. The fortress played a major role in protecting the north-western regions of Armenia (Gugark) and is among the most well preserved of all in modern Armenia. The main church at the compound is famous for its highly artistic frescoes, which cover the inside walls, the partitions, and the bearings of the building. The modern name of Akhtala was first recorded in a royal decree of 1438. The etymology of the name Akhtala is believed to be of Turkic origin, meaning white glade. The original Armenian name of the settlement where the monastery is built is Pghindzahank, which means copper mine.

Haghpat Monastery, also known as Haghpatavank, is a medieval monastery complex in Haghpat, Armenia, built between the 10th and 13th century.

Sanahin is a village in the northern province of Lori in Armenia, now considered part of the city of Alaverdi (a cable car connects it with Alaverdi). The village is notable for its Sanahin Monastery complex, founded in the 10th century and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the monastery in nearby Haghpat. Sanahin was also the birthplace of the two well-known Mikoyan brothers. Artem Mikoyan was a well-known airplane constructor, and one of the “fathers” of MiG. Anastas Mikoyan was the politician with the longest career of any member of the Soviet Politburo. He was involved in negotiating the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, was a member of the Soviet delegation trying to improve relations with Josip Broz Tito’s Yugoslavia, and played a major role in the Cuban Missile Crisis negotiations. A fraction of visitors to the monastery also stop at the small nearby Mikoyan museum in the former