Description
This fortress-monastery is a pilgrimage site and one of the most revered places in Armenia, sacred to the Armenian Apostolic Church. The monastery was built between the 6th and 17th centuries above the dungeon where Gregory the Illuminator, the patron saint of Armenia, was imprisoned for spreading Christianity, until King Tiridates decided to adopt the religion as the state faith. The dungeon, where the saint suffered, was a royal prison ("Khor Virap" means "deep pit"). Prisoners were lowered into this pit, which was infested with venomous snakes and scorpions. According to legend, Saint Gregory the Illuminator was held in this pit for 13 years.