Goshavank Monastery near Dilijan

Goshavank entrance fee and opening hours

Goshavank is free to enter. There’s no gate, no ticket office and no posted timetable: the grounds are open and the churches are usually unlocked in daylight, when a caretaker is around. Some doors are still shut early in the morning, so aim to arrive after 9am and leave before dusk. Treat these hours as unofficial.

You’ll only spend money on the taxi, candles and a coffee in the village. Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards are widely accepted in Dilijan’s hotels and cafés, but carry Armenian dram cash for Gosh itself. Taxi apps GG and Yandex Go both work here and show the fare before you ride.

Is Goshavank worth visiting?

Yes, if you’re staying in Dilijan and want medieval Armenia without the crowds. It’s smaller than Haghartsin and far more compact than Haghpat or Sanahin, but it holds one of the country’s most famous carvings — Poghos’s lace-like khachkar. Free entry, a 30-minute drive and forest all around make it an easy half-day.

On a single day trip from Yerevan you’ll probably have to choose between Goshavank and Haghartsin, as both plus Dilijan and Lake Sevan make a very long day. Hikers should pick Goshavank: the path to Lake Gosh starts here, and the Transcaucasian Trail passes through Gosh — including a 9.7 km stretch from Lake Parz through Dilijan National Park.

What to see at Goshavank

• The Aseghnagorts khachkar by Poghos, 1291 — a cross-stone carved so delicately it looks embroidered. It stands in front of the smallest church in the complex.
• St Astvatsatsin church (1191–1196) — the domed main church, still used for services at weekends.
• The gavit (1197–1203) — the big vaulted hall in front of the church, used for meetings and teaching.
• St Grigor Lusavorich church (1237–1241) — a small church whose doorway was once flanked by both of Poghos’s khachkars.
• The book depository and belfry — a two-storey building: manuscripts below, a tiny church with a bell tower on top.
• The statue of Mkhitar Gosh at the monastery entrance.
• The hillside above — a chapel and Mkhitar Gosh’s tomb, about a 15-minute walk up, with the best view over the rooftops and forest.

What is Goshavank?

Goshavank was one of medieval Armenia’s great centres of learning. It was founded in 1188 by Mkhitar Gosh — theologian, fable writer and author of the Datastanagirk, the first Armenian law code — to replace the Getik monastery, which an earthquake had destroyed. Hence its first name, Nor Getik, “New Getik”. It took Gosh’s name after he died in 1213, and the village grew up around it.

Today it’s a working monastery of the Armenian Apostolic Church: a tight cluster of 12th- and 13th-century churches, chapels, a school building and the two-storey book depository, all on a slope above village houses. Poghos carved two khachkars for it in 1291; one went to the History Museum of Armenia in Yerevan in the 1930s, and the other is still here.

Goshavank vs Haghartsin

Both lie east of Dilijan off the same highway, so one taxi can cover them in a morning. If you only pick one: Goshavank for stone carving, Haghartsin for the forest setting.

Monasteries around Dilijan compared

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Nearby — add to your day

26

Lake Gosh

Dilijan, Armenia

2 h · Free · 33 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Lake Gosh

How to do it right

• Pair Goshavank with Haghartsin — both are east of Dilijan, one taxi covers them in half a day.
• See Poghos’s khachkar in side light — morning or after lunch.
• Walk up to Mkhitar Gosh’s tomb for the best view of the monastery.
• Keen walker? Take the forest path to Lake Gosh — the clay gets slippery after rain.
• Parking is tight on summer weekends — arrive early.
• Eat in Gosh village rather than heading back to Dilijan hungry.

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