Haghartsin Monastery, Dilijan

Haghartsin Monastery hours and entrance fee

Entry is free; you can leave a donation or buy a candle inside the churches. There is no official timetable: unofficially the monastery is open daily from about 10:00 to 18:00, and since it is a working monastery, services and church holidays can change that.

Parking right by the gate costs a small fee (unofficially around 200 AMD); you can also leave the car by the road about 200 metres lower down for free. Bring cash in dram — for the taxi, parking, candles and the bakery. Cards work well in Yerevan, but in the regions cash is safer.

Is Haghartsin Monastery worth visiting?

Yes — if you see one monastery around Dilijan, make it this one. It is the largest and best-kept complex in Dilijan National Park: three stone churches, a gavit, a medieval dining hall and royal tombs, all in a quiet forested valley rather than beside a highway.

It is less worth it if you are short on time and have already seen several Armenian monasteries — the churches are plain inside, and the setting is the main draw. In that case, pair it with Goshavank on the same side of town and make it a half-day trip.

What to see at Haghartsin

• Surb Astvatsatsin (1281) — the largest church, with a tall many-sided dome and a relief of the monastery’s founders on its wall.
• Surb Grigor — the oldest church, with an octagonal drum, and its 12th-century gavit lit by a cross-shaped window.
• Surb Stepanos (1244) — a small church right at the edge of the forest.
• The refectory (1248) by the architect Minas — the first building on your left: stone benches, crossing arches and long wooden tables still used for wedding and christening meals.
• The royal sepulchre by the gavit’s south wall, with gravestones naming the Bagratuni kings Smbat and Gagik.
• Khachkars — carved cross-stones around the grounds, including a 13th-century one by the south door.
• The bakery by the car park — order *gata*, Armenian sweet bread, some with fillings; certain kinds are baked to order in about 20 minutes.

A short history

The monastery was probably founded in the 10th century; its oldest church, Surb Grigor, dates from the 10th–11th century. The Seljuks nearly destroyed it in the 11th century, and from 1184 the Zakarid princes Zakare and Ivane rebuilt it as their family burial place. Under the abbot Khachatur of Taron, a theologian and musician, Haghartsin became known for church music.

The great church of the Holy Mother of God was finished in 1281. In 2011 the complex was fully restored with money from the ruler of Sharjah, which brought the paved road, the car park, a shop and the bakery. The popular story that the name means “eagles playing” is a folk etymology; Haghartsin is also the name of the stream running past the monastery.

Hiking: the waterfall and the Transcaucasian Trail

The easiest walk from the monastery leads to a hidden waterfall, about 1.5 km each way on road and narrow forest path — it turns the visit into about two hours.

Haghartsin is also on the Transcaucasian Trail. The long approaches — from Hovk (about 26 km) or from Jukhtakvank (about 20 km) — take a full day and suit experienced hikers. The Vanatun guesthouse and open-air restaurant next to the monastery let you stay the night afterwards.

Haghartsin vs Goshavank vs Matosavank

If you see just one, choose Haghartsin — it is the biggest and best kept. Prefer quiet ruins and no car? Walk to Matosavank.

Dilijan's monasteries and churches compared

Every monastery and church in Dilijan rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

How to do it right

• Come early: tour buses from Yerevan tend to arrive around midday.
• Order your gata as soon as you arrive — it will be ready by the time you have seen the churches.
• Autumn is the best season: the forest around the monastery turns yellow and red.
• Got a spare hour? The path to the waterfall is an easy walk.
• Combine it with Goshavank — both lie on the same side of Dilijan, so one taxi covers half a day.

Questions