Haghpat's older twin across the gorge, famous for its school of calligraphy and illumination.
Sanahin sits on the plateau above Alaverdi, a cluster of dark, interlocking churches, gavits and an academy hall whose floors are paved with gravestones. It was added to the Haghpat UNESCO listing in 2000. The Mikoyan Brothers Museum, with a MiG fighter outside, is a few minutes' walk away.
Good to know
- Reach it from Alaverdi by taxi (10 min) or by the steep stair path from the town.
- Combine with the Sanahin Bridge in the gorge below.
Read more: Wikipedia: Sanahin Monastery, UNESCO World Heritage listing
Details
- Type
- Monastery
- Where
- Debed Canyon
- Built
- 10th–13th c.
Light
Golden hour is when the sun is less than 6° above the horizon — the warm light for photos. In deep gorges the sun leaves the valley floor earlier.
Photos taken nearby
From Wikimedia Commons, within 1 km. Click a photo for its author and licence.
Weather at Sanahin Monastery
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Forecast for this spot from Open-Meteo.
On these routes
- Debed Canyon in one day 1 day
- A Lori weekend from Yerevan 2 days
- Yerevan to Tbilisi through Lori 1–2 days
- Three slow days in the canyon 3 days
- Haghpat to Sanahin hike, Half a day
- Transcaucasian Trail through Lori hike, Multi-day
Sights nearby
- Holy Mother of God Church, SanahinChurch 0 m
- Academy of SanahinChurch 0 m
- KyurikyansTomb 0 m
- St. Gregory Chapel, SanahinChurch 0 m
- All-Saviors Church (Amenaprkich), SanahinChurch 0 m
- Gavit (Mother of God), SanahinChurch 0 m
Nature nearby
Stay nearby
- KarnelHotel 100 m
- Pottery House SanahinGuesthouse 200 m
- Sanahin Bridge Lounge HotelHotel 950 m
- Mini House HostelHostel 1.1 km
- Hotel in SanahinHotel 1.2 km
Eat nearby
- Hatsi TunCafe 150 m
- Mkrtchyan'sCafe 950 m
- Restaurant in SanahinRestaurant 1000 m
- Cafe in SanahinCafe 1.0 km
- PegasRestaurant 1.2 km
Services nearby
- Mini MarketConvenience store 850 m
- ACBAATM 850 m
- HayPost 1705Post office 900 m
- Mini MarketConvenience store 900 m
- Mini MarketConvenience store 900 m
- SanahinBus station 900 m
Distances in the "nearby" lists are straight-line; the height difference shows how much climbing a short distance can hide here.