Khor Virap

We took the car out for a day trip to the Khor Virap monastery south west of Yerevan (right on the Turkish border). The monastery is situated on a hill with a spectacular view of Mount Ararat behind it. It's a working monastery, and is a popular spot for Armenian tourists because it is where St. Gregory was imprisoned by a ruling king for 13 years in the late 3rd to early 4th century. Seeing St. Gregory's great faith, the king converted to Christianity and, as the story goes, the world's oldest Christian country was born. Visitors were lined up to climb down a ladder in to the subterreanean cell where St. Gregory was held, but we didn't venture down to see it.