Vanadzor

Vanadzor rests in a wide basin that shares its name, nestled at 1,350 meters above sea level, just 117 kilometers north of Yerevan. It is Armenia’s third-largest city, after Yerevan and Gyumri, with a population exceeding 90,000. The origins of the first settlement here are lost to time—some sources suggest the 2nd century BCE, others the 3rd—but historians agree it once formed part of Greater Armenia. Over the centuries, the settlement bore many names. In the 13th century, it came under the rule of the Seljuk Turks, who, upon seeing a church of black tuff dedicated to the Holy Mother of God, called the place Karakilisa—“Black Church.”

Vanadzor has known war and migration. It played a defensive role during the Russo-Persian and Russo-Turkish wars. Armenians fleeing Turkish invasions found refuge here, alongside Molokans—Russian religious dissenters exiled by the Empire. In 1801, Karaklis was annexed by the Russian Empire. The name remained until 1935, when, in the Soviet era, it was changed to Kirovakan after the assassination of Sergey Kirov. In 1993, the city was renamed Vanadzor, a combination of “Van” (a lake) and “dzor” (valley in Armenian). An artificial lake bearing that name now lies at the city’s heart, stocked with fish and serving as a reservoir. A staircase behind the Hotel Kirovakan leads to the lakefront promenade, a tranquil spot where the Tandzut and Vanadzor rivers weave past its manmade shores.

Vanadzor is best visited in summer. Its elevation and forested surroundings offer cool respite from the heat of Yerevan—on average, temperatures are ten degrees lower than the capital.

Vanadzor is surrounded by wooded hills and mountains, and its southeastern edge hosts one of the country’s five botanical gardens. The city center, too, is verdant, with parks like those of the Railway Workers, Sayat-Nova, and Artsakh Square. Locals fish right in the heart of the city, along the lake and rivers.

The city’s name once derived from a church. Though the original black tuff church no longer stands, a new Holy Mother of God Church rose in its place in 1831, built from bright orange tuff—a stone Armenians call “the rock of immortality.” Quarried in Armenia’s mountains, tuff is used to build homes, churches, and khachkars (carved stone crosses). It comes in hues ranging from pink to black, and in over thirty natural shades. The Church of the Holy Mother of God is now one of Vanadzor’s most significant landmarks.

Near Sayat-Nova Park, the Cathedral of Saint Gregory of Narek—poet, theologian, and author of The Book of Lamentations—rises in bright stone. Completed in 2005, the cathedral blends traditional Armenian architecture with modern refinement.

Vanadzor also has a Russian Orthodox community. They built the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the largest Orthodox churches in Armenia. Constructed at the end of the 19th century in Byzantine style, the church remains a place of worship for local Russians and visitors alike.

A popular pilgrimage site, the Kamakatar Chapel stands atop a hill with sweeping views of the city. According to legend, a seriously ill girl named Katar asked her father to build a prayer house and name it after her. Once the chapel was finished, she miraculously recovered. Locals later dubbed it “Kamakatar”—the wish-fulfiller.

Vanadzor has a modest number of landmarks within city limits, but its surrounding areas are rich with history. Half an hour’s drive away lie the villages of Fioletovo and Lermontovo, home to Molokans who migrated from the Russian Empire. These communities now welcome cultural excursions.

Not far from Vanadzor are the medieval monasteries of Haghpat, Sanahin, and Haghartsin, as well as the Sanahin Bridge and the monasteries of Horakert, Makravank, and Nor Getik.

Haghpat and Sanahin monasteries, located just seven kilometers apart, were designed by the same architects—father and son—and bear many similarities. Sanahin’s buildings are arranged linearly, while Haghpat’s are scattered, forming a labyrinthine complex. Haghpat is encircled by a protective stone wall, which Sanahin lacks.

Near Sanahin, an 800-year-old arched bridge crosses the Debed River. Adorned with carved stone lions and stretching 18 meters long, it continues to serve pedestrians and tourists. From this vantage, the Sanahin complex reveals its full grandeur.

Horakert Monastery, perched on the western slope of Mount Lalvar, is distinguished by its rare decagonal drum supporting a vast central dome. The intersecting arches beneath form a six-pointed star, echoed in the adjoining narthex, built in 1257, maintaining stylistic unity.

Nor Getik, built in 1188 on the ruins of a previous monastery destroyed by earthquake, owes much of its legacy to Mkhitar Gosh, a prominent medieval scholar and lawmaker. Locals later called the monastery “Goshavank” in his honor. Most buildings here follow the domed and cruciform-dome plans, with exceptions like the vaulted Church of Gregory the Illuminator and the small square-domed chapel of Saint Hripsime.

Haghartsin Monastery stands in a beech forest. The oldest structure is the Church of Saint Gregory, dating to the 10th century, crowned with a conical dome resting on an octagonal drum. Nearby are a chapel built from blue basalt and the royal tomb of the Kyurikid dynasty. The Church of Saint Stepanos and the refectory, designed by the master architect Minas in 1248, complete the complex.

Makravank, built from pink, red, and green stone, clings to the slopes of the Bazum range. Its main temple is renowned for its carved ornamentation and intricate reliefs. To one side is the tiny Church of the Holy Mother of God, adorned with images of an eagle, a serpent, and carved battle scenes. On the other side are a chapel and a vestibule bearing reliefs of a crowned sphinx and a lion attacking a bull.