The Khor Virap Monastery embodies the unquenchable longing of the entire Armenian people for their historical homeland and the biblical Mount Ararat. As if by an irony of fate, this ancient sanctuary is located on the border of Armenia with Turkey, about 42 km from the capital Yerevan. The Virap Choir against the background of the biblical Ararat has long been a symbol of Armenia and the most famous attraction on postcards. It is from here that the most beautiful and picturesque views of the snow-white Ararat, green fields and mountains on the horizon open.
The history of the monastery is inextricably linked with the adoption and spread of Christianity in Armenia as the state religion. Thousands of believers come every year on a pilgrimage to this holy place. Khor Virap Monastery is famous not only for its architecture, but also for its deep pit, which has an exciting history. According to legend, the Armenian king Trdat III, loyal to the pagan gods, during the persecution of Christians, condemns Gregory the Illuminator to imprisonment in a prison pit for 14 years for his Christian sermons and beliefs. Once King Trdat falls seriously ill with swine fever, no one and nothing can cure the king. According to the historian Agatangejos, the king begins to turn into a pig and devour himself. Sister Trdata has a dream in which an angel informs her that only Gregory the Illuminator, imprisoned in Khor Virap, will be able to cure the king. Saint Gregory heals the king with his prayers, and Trdat III begins to believe in a miracle and in 301 proclaims Armenia the first Christian state.
Subsequently, in the V century, a chapel was erected on the site of the prison pit, which stands to this day. Since the XIII century, Khor Virap, being a national sanctuary, has also become a pan-Armenian center of education and science. In the XVII century, Archimandrite Khor Virapa David Virapetsi restored the buildings of the monastery and revived monastic life. In 1666-1669, the fortress walls of the monastery and the adjacent structures were erected, as well as a new church named after St. Nicholas was built. St. Gregory on the site of the old chapel over the pit. Today, the prison pit of the holy martyr is open to visitors. It is located inside the Church of St. St. Gregory, on the right side of the altar. The depth of the pit is about 6.5 m, and the diameter is 4.5 m. Every believer can go down to the dungeon by a special steep staircase and see with his own eyes the place of the martyr's imprisonment. In the central part of the monastery, inside the fortress walls, there is also the Church of the Holy Virgin, built in the XVII century. The Khor Virap Monastery is one of the favorite sanctuaries of the Armenian people: solemn divine services are held here, the sacraments of marriage and baptism are celebrated in the church of St. Astvatsatsin.
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