Church and Monastery Fatigue in Armenia - The Debed Canyon

When I was planning our trip to Turkey and Georgia last year, I hadn’t originally thought to make a little jaunt into Armenia. But after doing additional investigating into various places to see and things to do, I couldn’t help myself and booked a shoddy hotel in Yerevan – the Erebuni Hotel, if you’re wondering – for three nights in the middle of our 10 days in Georgia.

We had planned to spend 4 days and 3 nights in Armenia in total, one of which would be spent in Yerevan, one on a day trip, and two going to and from Tbilisi. I arranged transport (with the help of lovely folks at Envoy Hostel in Yerevan) so that we could see different things coming to and from the border – an arrangement that basically meant we took two different routes when coming from the Sadakhlo-Bagratashen border to Yerevan and back. Basically I was a total ninja in making sure we used our time in Armenia to see as many damn churches and monasteries as we could.

I basically organized an Armenian Monastery death march.

I know, I know. For whatever reason, in my planning stage, I really fell in love with Armenian orthodox architecture. And knowing that I may not be back in Armenia for a long, long time (bolstered by my experiences in Yerevan, perhaps…) – I wanted to make the most of our time there.

We saw twelve damn monasteries in three and a half days. And only one winery, and let me tell you – all that Jesus nearly drove me to the drink. Anyone who’s spent time traveling in places like Kyoto or Siem Reap (or any place replete with grand architecture – religious or not) has probably experienced what I call “temple fatigue.” This was a tried and true example of that, only with Christian architecture. The desire to pack as much into a short amount of time is symptomatic of only getting two weeks at a time to be in a place, and is a trap that I’ve fallen in to countless times on my various adventures.

I made a graph for you, because who doesn’t like data visualization?

Too many monasteries. — You can see that the trend over time is DECREASING interest.

I have also rated each monastery/church we visited below. Please note that an open souvenir stand earns that monastery a 5/5 rating. Don’t question my metrics, science is magic.

Day 1: Tbilisi to Yerevan

Mood: Excited! Optimistic! Fuck yeah, pass the Jesus! Five smiley faces out of five.

Monastery 1: Akhtala

Probably my favorite of the whole trip. We were the only folks there, and had to get assistance from some dude in the adjacent village to come open up the building for us. Inside this huge building (completed in the 10^th century) were these incredibly preserved frescoes, which I choose to believe are original. Some child sold David some rocks with shiny minerals inside – which is close enough to a souvenir stand for me. 5/5

Monastery 1 of 12 - It was largely downhill from here. — Monastery 1 of 12 – It was largely downhill from here.

A very impressive structure - circa 10th century. — A very impressive structure – circa 10th century.

Technically, it is a monastery/church in the Georgian Orthodox style, which may explain why I like it so much?

I chooose to believe these frescoes are original. Don't rain on my parade. — I chooose to believe these frescoes are original. Don’t rain on my parade.

Monastery 2: Haghpat

Probably the most scenic of all the monasteries we visited. It is located high above the Debed River, on the outskirts of Alaverdi, and across from Sanahin, which we visited after. The old Armenian ladies were very insistent on getting us change to use the toilets (about $0.10), which I appreciated. I particularly liked the way the land seemed to be reclaiming some of the buildings, especially the belfry. 4.5/5

Haghpat's famous belfry. — Haghpat’s famous belfry.

Secret passageways led us in and around the monastery complex.

Monastery 3: Sanahin

This place just seemed haunted. The bareness of the trees in winter next to the lack of color of the buildings was super romantic to me. I had done a lot of reading on Sanahin before we arrived to Armenia, and it didn’t disappoint. It was also the most Lord of the Rings-y, which is something I look for in a tourist destination. 4/5

It's a little creepy, right? — It’s a little creepy, right?

Sanahin on the whole was a bit more overgrown and unkempt than Haghpat. I like some scruff on my religious architecture, so no complaints here.

Impressive architectural engineering - considering the original structure is from the 12th century. — Impressive architectural engineering – considering the original structure is from the 12th century.

Why yes, I would like to set up my card table and vinyl table cloth here in this fantastical ancient building... — Why yes, I would like to set up my card table and vinyl table cloth here in this fantastical ancient building…

I’ll be presenting the rest of my photos and observations over the course of a few weeks – I don’t want you to suffer from the same church fatigue that David and I did. Because, let me tell you, the struggle is real.