The Monastery of Khor Virap is the symbol of the spirituality of Armenia.
At the end of the third century, during the reign of Tiridates III, Khor Virap was a fortress used as a prison.
Legend has it that St. Gregory the Illuminator, considered the father of the Armenian Apostolic Church, was imprisoned here for 14 years.
According to legend, one day the king became seriously ill and no doctor could find a cure. The sister of the sovereign freed St. Gregory and King Tiridates III recovered in a few days. To repay himself, the king converted to Christianity and declared it the state religion in 301.
The first chapel was built in 642 over the remains of the deep well.
The monastery, surrounded by green pastures and vineyards within the Ararat plain near the border with Turkiye, today is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Armenia.
