# Matosavank Monastery, Dilijan > Matosavank is a half-ruined Armenian monastery from 1247 in the forest of Dilijan National Park, 3–3.5 km north-west of town. Entry is free and there is no gate or keeper, so it is open any time — go in daylight. Allow about an hour: it is a 25–30-minute forest climb from the Dilijan mineral water plant, or two hours with neighbouring Jukhtakvank. Web page: https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/matosavank - City: [Dilijan](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan), Armenia - YesGo score: 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free — no ticket office - Hours: Unofficial: any time, there is no gate; daylight is best - National park fee: Unofficial: a park fee may apply, but there is usually nowhere to pay on the trail - Walk from the mineral water plant: 25–30 minutes uphill through forest - Taxi from the centre: To the trailhead at the mineral water plant, ≈ 5–6 km along the Vanadzor road - Minibus: Unofficial: town routes terminate at the mineral water plant - Payment: Cash Armenian dram for minibuses; GG and Yandex Go taxi apps show the fare upfront - Time needed: ≈ 1 hour including the trail, 2 hours with Jukhtakvank - Facilities: None — no water, toilets or café; bring what you need - Coordinates: 40.75016, 44.80369 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **1247** — the year the Surb Astvatsatsin church was built, per its inscription (696 in the Armenian calendar) (source: English Wikipedia; Armenia Discovery; Transcaucasian Trail; Hetq (Russian Wikipedia gives 1205)) - **25–30 min** — on foot through the forest from the Dilijan mineral water plant; no road reaches the ruins (source: Wikivoyage: Dilijan; Transcaucasian Trail) - **3–3.5 km** — north-west of Dilijan, inside the national park forest (source: English Wikipedia and Visit Armenia (3 km); Russian Wikipedia and Armenia Discovery (3.5 km)) - **Avag Zakarian** — son of Ivane Mkhargrdzeli: built under his rule, after he submitted to the Mongols (source: English Wikipedia; Visit Armenia; Transcaucasian Trail) - **Pghndzahank** — the church’s full name is Surb Astvatsatsin of Pghndzahank — the Holy Mother of God of the copper mine (source: English Wikipedia; Hetq (plaque at the church); OneWayTour) - **3 buildings** — church, gavit (narthex) and book depository, all vaulted (source: Russian Wikipedia; Armenia Discovery; English Wikipedia) - **1251** — the date carved on one of the monastery’s khachkars (source: Armenia Discovery; OneWayTour) - **2 khachkars** — flank the church entrance (source: Russian Wikipedia; Armenia Discovery; OneWayTour) - **Bldan River** — the monastery sits on a wooded plateau above its right bank (source: Armenia Discovery; Live the World) - **Cemetery** — to the south-east, with rough gravestones and khachkar pedestals (source: OneWayTour; Live the World; English Wikipedia) - **Protected** — on Armenia’s state list of monuments, yet never restored (source: Russian Wikipedia; OneWayTour) - **≈ 30 min** — on the same trail to Jukhtakvank, across a metal footbridge (source: Transcaucasian Trail; Wikivoyage: Dilijan) ## Matosavank entrance fee and opening hours Matosavank is **free**. It is an unstaffed ruin in the woods with no ticket office, gate or keeper, so in practice you can visit at any hour. Go in daylight: the forest gets dark early and the ruins are easy to walk past. Wikivoyage notes that Dilijan National Park has an entrance fee that is hard to pay on the trails; unofficially, nobody collects it at Matosavank. Outside Yerevan, Armenia runs largely on cash — carry Armenian dram in small notes for minibuses and taxis, and use the GG or Yandex Go apps if you want the taxi fare fixed upfront. > **Easy to miss — download a map first** The church has sunk into moss and earth and looks like an overgrown mound from outside, and the trail markers are confusing. Save an offline map with the monastery pinned, start in daylight and skip it straight after heavy rain — the clay path turns slippery. Mobile signal in the valley is patchy. ## How to get to Matosavank from Dilijan 1. Start at the **Mimino statue** on Dilijan’s central roundabout, where minibuses from Yerevan stop and taxis wait. 2. Take a taxi to the **Dilijan mineral water plant** in the Bldan district — about 5–6 km west along the Vanadzor road, then right at the brown Jukhtakvank signs. 3. No taxi? Unofficially, town minibus routes end at the mineral water plant — ask the driver for “Bldan”. Walking from the centre along the road takes about an hour. 4. From the plant, follow Abovyan Street under the tall railway bridge to the **Medieval Monasteries Trail** information board. 5. Take the left-hand path up the wooded slope; after a 25–30-minute climb you reach the ruins of Matosavank. 6. Carry on along the same trail markers down to the river, cross the metal footbridge and in about 30 minutes you reach [Jukhtakvank](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/jukhtakvank) — 10 minutes above the plant. ## Is Matosavank worth visiting? Yes, if you like forest walks, silence and places with nobody around, and an hour on a steep path doesn’t put you off. Matosavank is the most atmospheric of Dilijan’s forest ruins: moss on the walls, grass on the roof, cool and damp inside even in midsummer. Paired with Jukhtakvank, it is the best short hike into the national park straight from town. Skip it if you only have time for one headline monastery with a tidy courtyard — go to [Haghartsin](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/haghartsin-monastery) instead. And don’t attempt it in heavy rain, snow or at dusk: the trail is steep and muddy, and the ruins are easy to miss. ## What to see at Matosavank - **The foundation inscription** above the church door, which dates the monastery to 1247. - **Khachkars at the entrance** — two carved cross-stones on either side of the door, with fragments of older carved stones beside them. - **The gavit** — a square vaulted hall with a single narrow west window and old gravestones set in the floor. - **The book depository** on the south side, a vaulted room with its own door; one wall is half collapsed. - **The 1251 khachkar**, one of the latest dated stones at the site. - **The medieval cemetery** to the south-east, its rough headstones and khachkar pedestals scattered among the trees. - **The forest itself** — in spring the forest floor is dotted with violets, cowslips and anemones. ## A short history The church of Surb Astvatsatsin — the Holy Mother of God of Pghndzahank, “the copper mine” — was finished in **1247** under **Avag Zakarian**, son of Ivane of the Mkhargrdzeli family. Avag had submitted to the invading Mongols and went on to command the combined Georgian and Armenian forces under the Great Khan Möngke. The monastery is small: a single-nave church of rough stone, a gavit to the west and a book depository to the south. It is on Armenia’s list of protected monuments but has never been restored, which is exactly why it feels so wild today. > **Visiting respectfully** There is no strict dress code at the ruins, but the khachkars and graves are still venerated. Don’t climb on the vaults or roofs — they are held up by earth and roots. Don’t light candles by the crosses or write on the walls: soot and wax have already damaged some stones. Heading on to working monasteries such as Haghartsin or [Goshavank](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/goshavank)? Bring clothes that cover shoulders and knees. ## Matosavank vs Jukhtakvank | | Matosavank | Jukhtakvank | | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Ruined monastery from 1247 | Two churches in a clearing | | Condition | Unrestored, mossy, grass on the roofs | One church is held together by iron bands | | From the mineral water plant | 25–30 min uphill | ≈ 10 min | | Between them | ≈ 30 min via the footbridge | ≈ 30 min via the footbridge | | Entry | Free | Free | Short on time? Jukhtakvank is closer. For the real forest-monastery feeling, go to Matosavank — or best, loop through both. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Offline map with the monastery pinned - [ ] Shoes with grip — the path is clay - [ ] Water and a snack: there is nothing in the forest - [ ] Phone torch — it is dark inside - [ ] Setting off in daylight, back before dusk - [ ] Cash dram for the taxi or minibus - [ ] No heavy rain or snow in the last day ## Monasteries around Dilijan compared Every monastery and church in and around Dilijan rated by YesGo. - [Matosavank Monastery](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/matosavank) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Jukhtakvank Monastery](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/jukhtakvank) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Haghartsin Monastery](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/haghartsin-monastery) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Goshavank](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/goshavank) — YesGo score 31/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Sevanavank](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/sevanavank) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free ## Two forest monasteries and Old Dilijan in half a day A trail loop through Matosavank and Jukhtakvank, then lunch on Sharambeyan Street and a stroll to the Mimino statue. 1. [Matosavank Monastery](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/matosavank) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free 2. [Jukhtakvank Monastery](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/jukhtakvank) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free 3. [Old Dilijan (Sharambeyan Street)](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/old-dilijan) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free 4. [Mimino statue](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/dilijan-mimino-statue) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 15 min · Free ## Good to know Sources disagree on the date: Russian Wikipedia reads 1205 from the façade inscription, while English Wikipedia, monument databases and guides give 1247, under Avag Zakarian. We show 1247. Jukhtakvank is a separate monastery across the valley, not part of Matosavank. ## Tips - Do it as a loop: Jukhtakvank first — just 10 minutes from the plant — then over the footbridge to Matosavank and back down to the start. - Bring a torch: the gavit and book depository are dark even at noon. - Late spring to early autumn is best; after rain and in winter the trail is slippery. - Going by taxi? Ask the driver to collect you at the plant in 1.5–2 hours — you can’t call a car from the forest. - Afterwards, head down to [Old Dilijan](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/old-dilijan) for lunch and the craft workshops. - If you want one monastery and no walking, choose Haghartsin. ## Questions ### Where is Matosavank Monastery? In Dilijan National Park, Armenia, about 3–3.5 km north-west of Dilijan town, on a wooded plateau above the Bldan River. Jukhtakvank is across the valley. ### How do I get to Matosavank? Take a taxi or town minibus to the Dilijan mineral water plant in Bldan, then walk the Medieval Monasteries Trail uphill for 25–30 minutes. ### How long is the hike to Matosavank? About 25–30 minutes each way from the mineral water plant. The full loop through Matosavank and Jukhtakvank takes around two hours at an easy pace. ### Can you drive to Matosavank? Only to the trailhead at the mineral water plant. There is no road to the ruins — the last stretch is on foot. ### Is there an entrance fee for Matosavank? No. It is an unstaffed ruin with no ticket office. A national park fee may officially apply, but there is usually nowhere to pay it on the trail. ### What are Matosavank opening hours? There are none — there is no gate, so you can visit any time. Go in daylight, as the forest darkens early and the ruins are easy to miss. ### Is Matosavank worth visiting? Yes, if you enjoy forest walks and quiet ruins — it is the best short hike from Dilijan. If you want one well-kept monastery without walking, pick Haghartsin. ### Can you combine Matosavank and Jukhtakvank? Yes — they share one trail, about 30 minutes apart via a metal footbridge. Starting and ending at the mineral water plant, the loop takes around two hours. ### Is Matosavank suitable for children? For children who walk confidently on slopes, yes. The trail is short but steep and muddy, and not for buggies. Keep kids off the vaults inside the ruins. ### When was Matosavank built? Most sources give 1247, from the inscription over the church door, under Avag Zakarian. Russian Wikipedia gives 1205. ## How we checked The monastery has no official website or timetable, so entry, hours, the national park fee, taxi and minibus details are unofficial and marked “verifying”. History and buildings are checked against at least two sources. The date differs: Russian Wikipedia gives 1205, all other sources 1247 (696 in the Armenian calendar, under Avag Zakarian) — we show 1247 and flag the conflict. Sources put the distance from town at 3 or 3.5 km, so we show both. Trail times come from Wikivoyage and the Transcaucasian Trail; YesGo estimated road distances from OpenStreetMap coordinates. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Matosavank — date, Avag Zakarian, buildings, cemetery - Russian Wikipedia: Matosavank — buildings, condition, protected status; Wikidata Q6787753 - Visit Armenia (Armenia’s official tourism portal): Matosavank - Armenia Discovery: Matosavank — inscriptions of 1247 and 1251, gavit, book depository - Transcaucasian Trail: 5 Secluded Monasteries In Dilijan National Park — the trail from Abovyan Street - Wikivoyage: Dilijan — trail from the mineral water plant, minibuses, national park fee - Hetq: on the monasteries of Dilijan National Park — the church’s full name on the plaque - OneWayTour: Matosavank Monastery — khachkars, cemetery, protected status - OpenStreetMap: coordinates of Matosavank, Jukhtakvank and the trailhead --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.