Karmravor Church
Karmravor Church
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
27 reviews
Excellent
10
Very good
15
Average
2
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Alexander_Kudrin
Samara, Russia13,603 contributions
Oct 2019
Traveling around Armenia by car, we specially stopped in the city of Ashtarak to see its main attraction - one of the oldest surviving Armenian churches - Karmravor. Translated from Armenian - "reddish". It is believed that the name originated from the color of the tiles. It was founded in the 7th century by the priests Grigor and Manas. The church is small, cruciform with carved cornices, an octagonal drum, and the only one with an old tiled roof. According to an old legend, three sisters living in Ashtarak fell in love with a young man named Sarkis. The older two sisters decide to die, sacrificing themselves for the younger. One of them put on an apricot-colored dress, the other red, and rushed into the gorge. Learning about this, the younger sister, wearing a white dress, also rushed into the gorge, and Sarkis became a hermit out of grief. And on the edge of the cliff, three churches appeared - Spitakavor (whitish), Karmravor (reddish) and Tsiranavor (apricot).
Written September 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Areg G
Yerevan, Armenia218 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
This church is ancient and have vastly amount of old churches nearby, it dates back to 7th century, it’s small but still very beautiful and unique for Armenia. So town Ashtarak is really the place to admire old and ancient beauty of Armenian religious and cultural life.
Written October 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
orcuttm
London, UK11 contributions
Jun 2018 • Friends
This is one of those little churches that makes you feel small and big at the same time. It’s a monument to the human humility.
Written June 20, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
xheroine1981
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia512 contributions
Jan 2018 • Friends
Been here last January 4, 2018
This is probably the smallest church I've seen in Armenia which stand more or less 20 feet by more or less 25 feet.
Sadly, the church was closed during our tour here....
But our tour guide, explained that many of the original tiles on the roof which made on mortar have remained intact and the only 7th century church which still preserved the original roof of red clay tiles.
Indeed, the place is solemn and well-preserved
This is probably the smallest church I've seen in Armenia which stand more or less 20 feet by more or less 25 feet.
Sadly, the church was closed during our tour here....
But our tour guide, explained that many of the original tiles on the roof which made on mortar have remained intact and the only 7th century church which still preserved the original roof of red clay tiles.
Indeed, the place is solemn and well-preserved
Written January 27, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BijanTehran_Iran
Tehran, Iran483 contributions
May 2015 • Solo
Karmravor ( "Reddish" because of the color of its dome) or Surp Astvatsatsin ("Holy Mother of God") is a 7th-century Armenian church built by priests Gregory and Manas. The church is located on the northeast side of the town of Ashtarak in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia.
According to a legend, 3 sisters lived in Ashtarak, fell in love with the prince Sargis. The elder 2 sisters killed themselves with orange and red dress in favor of the youngest one. When the youngest sister found out, she put on a white dress and also threw herself into the gorge. Sargis then became a hermit and three small churches appeared at the edge of the gorge, named after the sisters' dress colors.
The place is not too large but has a very beautiful atmosphere.There is a very nice and also expensive caffe and restaurant nearby.
According to a legend, 3 sisters lived in Ashtarak, fell in love with the prince Sargis. The elder 2 sisters killed themselves with orange and red dress in favor of the youngest one. When the youngest sister found out, she put on a white dress and also threw herself into the gorge. Sargis then became a hermit and three small churches appeared at the edge of the gorge, named after the sisters' dress colors.
The place is not too large but has a very beautiful atmosphere.There is a very nice and also expensive caffe and restaurant nearby.
Written July 2, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
taqqie
Utrecht, The Netherlands3,441 contributions
Sep 2018 • Solo
The beauty of this ancient church is its age (obviously) and its smallness. It illustrates nicely how personal the religious experience was in those days. Very impressive!
Written December 5, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elen Asatryan
Yerevan, Armenia1,052 contributions
Jun 2015 • Family
Karmravor (meaning "Reddish" because of the color of its dome) or Surp Astvatsatsin is a 7th-century Armenian church built by priests Gregory and Manas. The church is located on the northeast side of the town of Ashtarak in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. It is the final resting place of poet Gevorg Emin
Written October 31, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PatrickM_Travels
Almaty, Kazakhstan1,786 contributions
Very nice small domed church built in 7th century with well-maintained grounds and peaceful setting.
Jun 2015 • Solo
Karmravor St. Astvatsatsin Church is one of many beautiful historical sites in Ashtarak, Armenia. It was built in the second half of the 7th century and was built on the site of an older pagan temple. According to the info signs, this is Armenia's best intact example of a small domed church with a cruciform plan both on the outside and inside. It's built out of red tufa. The grounds are adorned with nice khachkars, with the oldest one dating back to 1268.
When I visited the church in June 2015, I was pleased by the tidiness of the grounds, which had no trash and were well kept. Two old women were present, who I assume were the groundskeepers and would give visitors access to the inside of the small church upon request. The church is really quite small -- more of a temple really -- and the grounds were no more than 20x20 meters.
Across the street is a splendid little cafe where you could grab some refreshments before heading on to see Ashtarak's other churches. Don't forget to check out Ashtarak Bridge.
When I visited the church in June 2015, I was pleased by the tidiness of the grounds, which had no trash and were well kept. Two old women were present, who I assume were the groundskeepers and would give visitors access to the inside of the small church upon request. The church is really quite small -- more of a temple really -- and the grounds were no more than 20x20 meters.
Across the street is a splendid little cafe where you could grab some refreshments before heading on to see Ashtarak's other churches. Don't forget to check out Ashtarak Bridge.
Written July 4, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PatrickM_Travels
Almaty, Kazakhstan1,786 contributions
Feb 2016 • Friends
This is my second visit and second review of Karmravor Church. My first visit, I had ridden my bike here from Yerevan. Now my second visit, I drove by here with some friends on a Saturday roadtrip. Karmravor Church is not particularly remarkable. It is well maintained and has a unique roof, however it is tiny and in the middle of an average-looking village. Now having been to many, many dozens of Armenian churches, I would say that you should visit Karmravor Church only if you are passing by.
Written February 28, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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