Photos of Tsaghats Kar Monastery
About Tsaghats Kar Monastery
The remains of the Tsaghats Kar Monastery are spread along the mountain foothills above the Yeghegis river valley, within walking distance of the Smbataberd Fortress. It comes in two main halves, a couple of hundred metres apart. The western group has largely fallen into ruins and lies as huge pieces of cut stone sitting amoung the meadow grass. The eastern portion of the monastery grounds is in better shape. The main church, St Karapet, still stands overlooking the surrounding valley. What remains today is the small domed building built from finely cut basalt, with carvings all over the windows and the doorway. On the north wall there's an intricate carving of a lion fighting a bull, and it's the biggest carving of its kind in the country. Just east of the church stands a two storey chapel that doubled as a mausoleum. Ground and setting matter just as much as the buildings here. Wildflowers come up thick across these slopes in late spring and early summer, and the valley falls away below the whole site. Most people arrive on foot, either walking over from the fortress or climbing up out of the valley. Make sure to come pair the monastery with a shooting adventure to the fortress, both are worthy photography subjects and the views in between are definitely worth the walk. (Yeghegis, Vayots Dzor, Armenia)
