Lake Sevan – Sevanavank – Ayrivank – Noratus

• Lake Sevan a nature miracle, adjoining the sky, the most beautiful of all the high-mountain lakes, is located in a huge thicket at the height of 1916 meters above sea level, it is the largest in the Caucasus region, 1240 km², with the depth up to 83 meters. The Sevan is 63 km north from Yerevan. It is fed by 28 rivers and streams, the only flowing out river is the River Hrazdan. Its water is clear and pure, according to a legend, only stars and gods drank water from the Sevan.

• Sevanavank Monastery is 6 km west from the town of Sevan, on Sevan peninsula. Before the shallowing of the lake, the peninsula was a small island, separated from the land by a three-kilometer stride. At the end of the VIII century a few monarchs settled there. The congenial location of the island contributed to the enlargement of the monastic brethren and the dynamic construction of the Monastery.

• Ayrivank Church is located on a craggy cape on the east coast of Lake Sevan, in the village of the same name, and refers to the IX-XII centuries.

• Noratus is an old village, 27 km from the town of Sevan. In the XVI century Noratus was the residence of Armenian Meliks (Kings). There is the largest cemetery with khachkars in Armenia. A characteristic feature of most khachkars is a cross with a solar disk beneath it. The rest of the stone is decorated with images of leaves, bunches of grapes, pomegranates or abstract patterns.Most of the khachkars in Noratus cemetery go back to the XIII-XVII centuries, the most ancient goes back to the V century.