Khor Virap Armenia - History and Facts

Khor Virap [Khor Virap from Yerevan, Khor Virap history]

Khor Virap history

At first, Khor Virap was used as a royal prison. When Tiridates III was the king of Armenia, he was pagan and his assistant Grigor Lusavorich (Gregory the Illuminator) was Christian. Because of the different religion, the king tortured his advisor in Khor Virap dungeon.

Khor Virap from Yerevan

Khor Virap is situated in the Ararat, near the border with Turkey. It is located 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the north from Yerevan. You can get there by bus (it costs 400AMD=$0.83), by taxi, or by a rented car.

Khor Virap pit

Khor Virap pit was used as a prison for Grigor Lusavorich and he was harshly tortured in this pit. People all over the world come to enter and have a look at this magic place. It still bears the memories of the battle between pagan king and the Christian saint.

Khor Virap dungeon

Khor Virap dungeon was home for Gregory the Illuminator. A woman under the impression of her dream fed saint with freshly baked bread so he survived. Soon the pagan king Trdates III went mad because a girl refused to marry him, and his sister Khosrovidhukt had a dream about Grigor.

Khor Virap Monastery

Khor Virap Monastery was established in 642 and it is notable because the dungeon of Grigor Lusavorich was in this monastery. After saint Grigor Lusavorich was freed and cured Trdates III of madness, the king accepted Christianity as the main religion and the true one.

Khor Virap weather

Month                         Average High                         Average Low

January                                  0°                                         -9°

February                                5°                                          -6°

March                                    14°                                        1°

April                                       20°                                        6°

May                                       25°                                        11°

June                                      31°                                        15°

July                                        34°                                        19°

August                                   34°                                        19°

September                             29°                                       14°

October                                 21°                                        7°

November                              12°                                       0°

December                               3°                                        -6°

Khor Virap map

You can see Khor Virap on Google maps. Khor Virap is situated in Ararat plain in Armenia, next to the closed border with Turkey. The place of Khor Virap is also too interesting.

Khor Virap Hours

In general, most churches in Armenia are open from 9 am to 6 pm daily. Khor Virap is a magical church and people from all over the world come to see this fantastic place. So sometimes the closing hour can be delayed as the visitors are sometimes tourists.

Khor Virap tour

Gardman Tour offers you a fantastic and unforgettable tour to Khor Virap. We promise you unforgettable memories and fantastic feelings. You can have adventure tours, jeep tours, off-road tours, or just a simple informative and interesting tour.

To know more about our tours to Khor Virap and to other directions see out tours here.

Gardman Tour, 14.06.2018