Haghpat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sourb Nshan (Holy Sign of the Cross) church

Haghpat ("Հաղպատ" in Armenian) is a village in the Northern Lorri province of Armenia, close to the city of Alaverdi and the state border with Georgia.

It is notable for Haghpat Monastery, a religious complex founded in the 10th century and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List along with monasteries in nearby Sanahin. The monastery is an outstanding and magnificent example of medieval Armenian architecture that has been attracting increasing numbers of tourists.

The village itself receives little benefit from these tourists and remains impoverished, with the majority of its residents keeping livestock and growing vegetables for food. Some residents are able to find work in the city of Alaverdi, about 10 km from Haghpat, while others gather berries (mainly blackberries and Cornelian cherry dogwood) from the nearby forests and sell them. Water is gathered from the numerous mountain springs, which are abundant in the area.

The village lies on a dissected plateau, a large flat area dissected by deep "cracks" formed by rivers, including the river Debed. The villages of Sanahin and Akner, as well as a part of Alaverdi, lie in plain view on neighbouring sections of the plateau, however a steep and long descent to and ascent from the river is required to travel to them.