Day tour Armenia – Aruchavank, The Cathedral of Talin, Gyumri, Sev Berd, Harichavank

Aruchavank or the Cathedral of Aruch (also Surb Grigor) is situated on a rocky plateau at the western foot of Mount Aragats in the village of Aruch in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. According to wall inscriptions on the east wall and manuscripts written by historians Ghevond, Hovhannes Draskhanakerttsi, and Stepanos Asoghik, the church and adjoining building for residence (the palace) were commissioned by Prince Grigor Mamikonian and his wife Heghine/Heline between 661-682 AD. Architecturally it is one of the most important Armenian churches of the Middle Ages and also one of the largest.

The Cathedral of Talin is a seventh-century Armenian cathedral located in the cemetery of Talin, in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia.

Gyumri is an urban municipal community and the second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th century, when the city was known as Alexandropol, it was one of the largest cities of Russian-ruled Eastern Armenia with a population similar to that of Yerevan. It was renamed to Leninakan[c] during the Soviet period. The city’s population grew above 200,000 prior to the 1988 Spitak earthquake, when it was devastated. As of the 2011 census, the city had a population of 121,976, down from 150,917 reported at the 2001 census. Gyumri is the seat of the Diocese of Shirak of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Sev Berd or Black Fortress is an abandoned Russian imperial fortress in Gyumri, Shirak Province, Armenia. The fortress, which lies 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from the Turkish border, was built in response to the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829. It is a national cultural heritage monument in Armenia. Gyumri, which lies on the border with Turkey, became part of the Russian Empire after the Treaty of Gulistan. Gyumri was renamed Alexandropol in 1837 after the visit of Tsar Nicholas I, in honor of his wife, Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna. The fortress was built on top of a hill, and the full fortification took a decade after the first stones were laid in 1834. The fortress is a 360-degree round structure made of black stone, from which it gets its name. After Russia’s loss in the Crimean War, Sev Berd was upgraded and designated a “first-class” fortress. It never underwent a siege, but

The Harichavank is 7th century Armenian monastery located near the village of Harich in the Shirak Province of Armenia. The village is 3 km southeast of the town of Artik.