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Hello friends! Today I invite you to fly! We will even have real wings for this, can you imagine? So, dress warmly, we are going to ride the longest cable car in the world. It is located, oddly enough, not somewhere in the Swiss Alps, but in Armenia! At the end of the article there is all the technical information on how to get there, where to live, how much the entrance ticket to the Wings of Tatev will cost, as well as a video about the cable car and the monastery, filmed during the trip.
Let me remind you that in the spring of this year, my friend Katyusha and I traveled through the Transcaucasus and one fine day fell into the mountainous regions in southern Armenia. How and with whom they got there is a whole detective story, you can read how two overgrown Armenians drove us in a tinted car through snow-covered gorges:
Ropeway "Wings of Tatev"
I will show you the beauty for which we spent many hours shaking in a minibus on mountain serpentines, having covered 250 km from Yerevan. 
Ropeway "Wings of Tatev" was opened in October 2010 as part of the Tatev revival program, which includes three stages: the construction of a cable car, the restoration of the monastery and the opening of a hotel.
"Wings of Tatev" is registered in the Guinness Book of Records. The record was not only the length of the road - 5,752 meters, but also the construction time - only 10 months. The Armenians built the road, and the Austrian-Swiss company designed it. The entire construction cost investors $18 million.
If suddenly you also want to stay in a cozy house with our friends, you can call and agree on the dates and cost of accommodation. Igor's phone for calls from an Armenian number 093-76-19-04 . If you are calling from another country or from numbers of mobile operators in another country, then you need to dial +374-93-76-19-04.
Video about the longest cable car in the world and the Wings of Tatev monastery
If you liked the video, you can like it in the upper right corner and subscribe to my youtube channel bptrip and watch other travel videos around the world.
It is quite possible that before you get to Tatev, you will first arrive in the capital of Armenia, so you can read an entertaining story about. In that article, I share interesting facts about Yerevan, there are also many photos of the capital.
Mind-boggling roads to you! Sincerely,
Tatev Monastery in Armenia everyone is advised to visit. You know how it happens, popular attractions often turn out to be not what you expect from them, but not so with Tatev. This is an absolute must see! Today I will tell you what the longest cable car “Wings of Tatev” is like and the monastery itself, as well as share useful practical information on how best to organize your trip to these places.
The dry and hot climate of Yerevan affected Ani's well-being, and she decided to stay and wait for me in the capital. Well, I got more mobility, and on the first day on the road, I stopped at and on. The next day I hitchhiked to, and further to Halidzor, where the cable car begins.
Ropeway "Wings of Tatev"
There are two ways to cross the steep mountain gorge of the Vorotan River: go down the dizzying serpentine and then go up the same way to the monastery, or use the cable car.
It was opened in 2010 as part of the Tatev revival project and at the same time was entered in the Guinness Book of Records - the length is 5752 meters, and the height above the ground is 320 meters! It is the longest reversible cable car in the world.
The cable car was built by an Austrian-Swiss company and they did it very well, it feels like you got to Europe: neat lawns, a cafe with a gorgeous view, Wi-Fi on the territory. The whole journey takes only 12 minutes, about 15-20 people fit in the cabin, there is even a “stewardess” there ;-)
Cafe at the cable car
Wings of Tatev
Cable car cost: AMD 2500-3500 one way / AMD 3000-5000 round trip depending on the season. For children up to 110 cm tall, the cost is only 100 AMD.
Working hours: from 09:00 to 20:00. The first flight is at 09:30, the last one is at 19:45. The schedule changes depending on the season, see the current one on the official website of the cable car.
The views from above are breathtaking: I just stood there with my mouth open and trying to get through to the glass to take a picture.
Road in the forest
You can also get to the monastery along this road.
The sun was very bright, so the reflection in the glass was very visible ... but the views were still indescribable. The cockpit would also have a glass floor, and it would be a completely unforgettable attraction!
What else to see nearby and what to do?
It is quite interesting to walk around the neighborhood and see how rural Armenia lives. I didn’t have much time, so I decided to just go down the serpentine to the Vorotan Gorge. At the lowest point is Devil's bridge- an amazing phenomenon of nature. for many years, water has made its way into the rocks, and this natural bridge was formed, along which the highway now passes.
It's worth it to take a walk here - sheer cliffs and slopes overgrown with forests, a stormy river flowing in a bizarre canyon. From the bridge you can go deeper, where you can swim in the springs (although they do not look very good) or go down to the bottom of the canyon on a rope.
Sources
Somewhere in the depths of the gorge hid ancient mountain villages They can also be reached on foot.
It will be cool if you find yourself in Tatev when one of the holidays takes place, for example, in early June, a sheep shearing festival is held, and on February 13, a holiday is celebrated in honor of the Presentation of the Lord.
If you love trekking and hiking, then local guides will be happy to take you through the surrounding beauties and villages. There are several routes from 2 to 8 hours and more difficult and long hikes. For more information call +374 94 00 80 39.
Rural landscapes of Armenia
Tatev how to get there?
The distance from Yerevan to Tatev is as much as 250 km along a regular road, not a highway. For a trip to the monastery, it is best to set aside two or three days, visiting interesting places along the way. Even in your own car, it will be problematic to be in time in a day, and even then at a gallop.
The most convenient way to get to Tatev is by taxi or your own car. In Yerevan, it is quite possible to find a person who will take you for 30-35 thousand drams one way for the whole car. But since it will be a trip for several days, then you need to individually negotiate, because the driver must sleep and eat somewhere ;-)
Tatev Monastery and surrounding nature
Public transport in this area is unstable and there is no point in getting there. As an option: first by a shared taxi to Goris (3500 AMD per person, 5 hours on the way), and then by taxi to Halidzor (where the Wings of Tatev ski lift starts) 3000 AMD one way + 1000 AMD for each hour of waiting.
Or you can take a shared taxi to Stepanakert and get off at the turn to the monastery, but there may not be taxi drivers there.
Theoretically, there are buses from Goris to Tatev (700 AMD, departure at 15:00 every day) and back (departure at 09:00). There are also buses from Goris to Halidzor (350 AMD, at 07:30 and 14:30 every day except Sunday).
I didn’t see any buses in Tatev and hitchhiked almost the entire way back and forth, and this is one of the most vivid impressions from traveling in Armenia ;-)
Mountain serpentines
Where to sleep?
Many tourists stop in Goris, which is 20 km from Tatev Monastery. There are a couple of dozen standard hotels and hotels at a price of 7000 AMD for a double room.
I also advise you to look for an overnight stay in the villages of Tatev or Halidzor. Recently, locals have opened several guesthouses where you can not only live in nature in the village, but also communicate with locals and eat delicious natural products.
I just went around the village in search of a B&B sign and soon I was sitting at the table for a family dinner, provided with a bed and a shower ;-) All the pleasure cost 5000 AMD for accommodation + dinner + breakfast.
There are places where such guest houses are collected, you can look in advance to know who you are going to and book.
That's all I wanted to tell you about the Tatev Monastery in Armenia. If you have any questions, I will try to answer them - ask in the comments, welcome!
Tatev Monastery is considered the pearl of medieval Armenian architecture. It was erected in the 9th-13th centuries in a remote area, which is why it is often difficult for tourists to get into it, but for true connoisseurs of unique ancient monuments, these problems fade into the background.
The monastery is located in the very center of the Syunik region, nearby is the village of the same name, the building itself is built on the right elevated bank of the Vorotan River. To reach this place, those who wish must descend into the 500-meter Vorotan canyon, make a stop at the Satanic bridge created by nature and at warm mineral springs, then climb up the mountain road. After a few turns, the monastery will appear, its powerful and impregnable stronghold will immediately catch your eye.
The inaccessibility of the building is explained by the strategic advantage: the monastery was both a religious building and the political center of the Principality of Syunik. In addition, he acted as the residence of the Syunik metropolitan, he also collected taxes from hundreds of villages, and his possessions included vast lands and craft workshops.
There are several versions of the origin of the name of this place. One of them says that the monastery was named after St. Eustathius, who was a disciple of the Apostle Thaddeus. Both of them were Christians and were martyred for their faith in the Syunik region. Also, "Tatev" from the old Armenian language is translated as "give me wings." When viewed from the lowlands, Tatev, built at a great height, seems to reach for the sky, and each of its walls seems to continue the rock on which it grew. Some believe that the idea of the name came in honor of the architect, who stepped into the abyss after the completion of construction, saying: “Lights, Surb, ta tev!”, Which means “Holy Spirit, send wings to me!”. Another version of the origin of the name says that the soul, which has fallen into the walls of the temple, seems to acquire wings, losing the burden of sins and suffering.
Currently, the building does not have the same significance, but its gates are still open to everyone.
Main buildings
The grandeur of the architectural ensemble is difficult to overestimate. In its center is the Church of St. Peter and Paul, which is the most important and largest building of the monastery. It seems to rise above the stone base and rewards the entire composition with special monumentality.
The cathedral looks a little archaic, but it also has modern features. Tourists are greatly impressed by the voluminous forms of the church, its umbrella domes. The windows are decorated with bas-reliefs in the form of human faces, to which the heads of snakes are turned, protruding their sting. In some places on the cathedral you can see the remains of frescoes.
The most ancient building was the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator. It was built in 848 by the prince of Syunik Pilipos, who donated the village of Tatev to the monastery. The temple is located on the south side of the main cathedral.
The well-known monument “Gavazan” or “Staff”, installed in 904 not far from the rooms for living, is recognized as a valuable work. It is made of small stones and is a pillar with eight sides. Its height is eight meters, at the very top there is an ornamented cornice, above which there is a khachkar.
Of interest to tourists is the Church of St. Astvatsatsin or the Holy Mother of God, which is a small domed hall with niches. Each of its facades, except for the one located on the western side, has a pointed umbrella ceiling. Next to the churches rise the rector's room, a dining room, which has a kitchen, living quarters, a bell tower and storerooms, built in the 17th-18th centuries.
Tatev seems to be hovering over the mountains and can extremely surprise a person who finds himself in this place for the first time. Narrow passages that lead the visitor out of the spacious hall into a series of rooms of an unknown nature, stone stairs, arched openings leading into the void, all this enchants and remains in memory for a long time.
History of the monastery
At the time of its foundation, the monastery had only one church and a certain number of monks. In the 10th century, the Syunik Metropolis moved there, which led to the expansion of possessions. By the end of the 11th century, the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul was erected, as well as two churches of the Holy Mother of God and St. George the Illuminator, at the same time a hotel for pilgrims and other buildings were built, the brethren increased to 500 people. In those days, Tatev suffered more than once from the invasion of foreigners and periodically occurring earthquakes.
The Orbelyan family, which came to power, began to restore the destroyed parts of the monastery, so the XIII-XIV centuries were marked by its unprecedented prosperity. At that time, Tatev University, which was the largest center in the field of philosophy and science in Armenia of the Middle Ages, functioned on its territory. The brethren increased to 1,000 people, and an extensive matenadaran library was built at the university. At the same time, Tatev became a receptacle for 9800 holy relics, among them even the hair of the Holy Mother of God.
In 1387, the monastery was invaded by Tamerlane, at the same time its richest book depository with thousands of manuscripts was burned and plundered, the nomadic tribes who came after him a century later devastated the university and pushed Bishop Shmavon with the brethren to the Sanahin Monastery to move.
At the end of the 19th century, the monastery owned only 9 villages, only the abbot, a couple of vardapets, a couple of clerics and a couple of servants lived in it.
In 1931, an earthquake almost completely destroyed Tatev, and already in 1974-98 the main buildings were restored.
cable car
"Wings of Tatev" delivers everyone to Syunik, the natural and historical treasure of Armenia.
In 2009, the National Competitiveness Foundation approved the "Revival of Tatev" program, within the framework of which it was planned to restore the destroyed architectural monuments of the monastery and create infrastructure for the development of tourism. It was decided to start with the construction of a cable car. In October 2010, the longest cable car in the world, it was immediately entered into the Guinness Book of Records.
Now you can get to the monastery in 12 minutes by air.
The distance from one platform to another is 5752 meters. The route of the movement was laid taking into account all the nuances of the area, so every tourist gets the opportunity to see both historical and natural sights located below from a height of 320 meters (Satan's Bridge, Tatev Desert). The passenger cabin accommodates 25 people and allows you to see the surroundings as much as possible. When its movement begins, a feeling of flight in the sky is created, this is where the name of the road came from.
The complex itself is designed to be as comfortable as possible for visitors: a large amount of open space allows you to park your car, there is a restaurant where you can wait for your flight or drink coffee while enjoying the view of the mountains from the window. There are observation telescopes on the observation deck, with their help you can see the gorge. The box office has a mobile connection and the possibility of buying a round-trip ticket.
How to get there
From Yerevan, the turn to the monastery can be reached by Yerevan-Stepanakert bus, and a tourist can also order a taxi from any hotel or hostel to the city of Goris.
The ropeway was built in the Syunik region of the country, it is 250 km south of Yerevan. You can get from there to the "Wings of Tatev" by taxi, choosing a transfer or renting a car. The whole journey will take about 3.5-4 hours. Of the convenient and familiar applications, there are Uber, Yandex.Taxi.
The path to the Tatev Monastery runs through the gorge, the descent to which is very steep. The stormy river Vorotan flows along the bottom of the gorge, going into the rocks for several tens of meters. Nature here is mysterious and beautiful. You can get to the Tatev Monastery by car (or by a small bus) through the gorge, or by the Kant road. Cabin super-modern cable car Tatev is the longest in the world (5.7 km), registered in the Guinness Book of World Records. From the cabin of the cable car, from a height of 320 meters above the gorge, an indescribable landscape of the fusion of heaven and earth opens up ...
This gorge seems huge and inaccessible to those who look into it, and in the south-west, up to the sky, a peak rises, bearing the name of the head of the pagan gods of the Armenians, Aramazd. They say that some secret passages lead to the very bottom of the gorge and then even rise up to its opposite side. Silent, as if hovering over the surrounding mountains, it makes a very strong impression. Labyrinths of narrow passages leading from spacious halls to a series of rooms for various purposes, outlines of niches emerging from the darkness, stone stairs, an arched opening to nowhere, approaching the edge of which is breathtaking - the earth seems to be leaving under your feet and an abyss opens up under you - somewhere then far below the river roars, and velvety green hills swell and crowd around. It seems to a person who has climbed to Tatev for the first time that this is the roof of the world and the Earth has no roof higher than Aramazd.
The plateau on which the Tatev Monastery was built is a unique miracle of nature. On this plateau in the pre-Christian era there were pagan temples.
Tatev - origin of the name
There are many versions associated with the etymology of the name of the Tatev Monastery.
One of them tells that when the construction of the main church of the monastery was completed, and all that remained was to put a cross on the dome, one of the master's students makes a cross that matches the splendor of the temple and secretly installs it at night. However, he does not have time to descend from the dome unnoticed and, noticing the enraged master, rushes into the abyss, asking God for wings (“tal tev” - “give wings”). According to legend, it was then that the name "Tatev" appeared.
According to another version, peasants who were in danger turned to God with a request to give wings - “tev”.
Tatev Monastery - construction and architecture
In 848 Prince Philip built the first church named after St. Grigor the Lusavorich (Illuminator). However, it was destroyed during the invasion of the Seljuk Turks, restored in 1138 and destroyed again by an earthquake. In the same place, in the same compositional style (single-vaulted hall) and again with the same name of Gregory the Illuminator in 1295, the same church was built along with a vestibule on the western side. The Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator is adjacent to the main church in the southeastern part. It has a single-vaulted prayer hall and a semicircular altar.
In general, in the external simplicity of the architecture of the temple, paired cross-shaped windows on the eastern facade and the western main entrance stand out with their rich forms. The main church of the monastery is the Church of St. Poghos-Petros (Paul-Peter). It was erected next to the Church of St. Grigor the Illuminator in 895-906. In 895, Bishop Hovhannes, under the patronage of the Grand Duke of Syunik Ashot and his wife Shushan, destroyed the old church and built a new one in its place. He extracts the relics of the apostles Poghos (Paul) and Petros (Peter) from the walls of the old church and places them again in the walls of the newly built church.
Along the outer perimeter of the church, both on the eastern and western sides, there are sacristies with semicircular niches. Although it is similar in composition to the type called a domed basilica, it has certain differences. In the quadrangular prayer hall, at a distance of 3 meters from the main altar, there is only one pair of domed pylons. On the western side, the corners of the sacristy of the prayer hall play the same role. By means of such a solution, a two-pylon version of the mentioned type was obtained, which is already an innovation. The original dome of the temple was destroyed during the earthquake of 1138. The drum and dome were rebuilt in 1274.
The main entrance to the cathedral is located on the west side. There is another entrance on the south side, to which a chapel was later attached. The medieval-style windows are quite large. Of particular interest are the vaults of those windows, in the upper part of which images of people are carved, on which the heads of writhing snakes are directed on both sides (the latter is attributed to a protective purpose).
Instead of the destroyed old bell tower at the end of the last century, a new bell tower was added to the church on the western side.
The inner walls of the cathedral in 930, on the initiative of Bishop Hakob Dvinetsi, are covered with frescoes, some of which were painted by foreign masters. These frescoes, which are of high artistic and art historical value, have been partially preserved. Particularly significant were the Last Judgment fresco depicted on the western wall and the Birth of Christ fresco depicted on the northern wall.
The next church of the complex is the church of St. Astvatsatsin (Virgin Mary), located above the crypt rooms (presumably - tombs) in the north-eastern corner of the monastery walls. The church was built in 1087 under the abbot of the monastery, Bishop Grigor. Given the location of the church on a hill, it was given importance as a watchtower.
Along the rectangular contour along the entire front, except for the western side, there is a building with two triangular niches each, without sacristies, and the entrance from the western side. The exterior architecture is typical of the style of the era. A high cylindrical drum, rising above the facades, solved in general with clear simplicity, is decorated with an ornament covering paired half-columns and crowned with a folded mantle.
Swinging Pillar of Tatev
One of the most famous buildings of the Tatev monastery complex is a monument-obelisk - "Pillar Staff" or "Vardapet Staff" ("Archimandrite's Staff"), dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It was erected in an octagonal recess surrounded by borders. The three-stage composition has a height of about 6 meters. The multifaceted first and second steps rising to the monolithic stone pedestal end with cornices, and the third one ends with a cross-stone embedded in the pedestal.
From the point of view of architecture, the pillar is an extremely interesting structure. Having a stone lining and a lime-concrete core, the pillar along its entire height not only resists all kinds of elements, but also pitching, and due to this it is mainly known as the “Swinging Pillar”. The explanation for this unprecedented phenomenon still needs to be clarified. According to some scientists, this is due to the presence of articulated joints at the base, while others believe that the swing occurs by giving the lower plane of the pillar plate a certain slope. They say that at one time the pillar was called the "Vardapet Staff", since the seminarians took an exam at the pillar and, if from their impressive voices, the sounds of spiritual chants (sharakans) the pillar began to swing, then they were honored with ordination to various church ranks: priest, deacon , hieromonk, etc. It also served as a warning system, warning by swinging about the approach of an enemy army.
Tatev Revival Project
At the initiative of Russian entrepreneur Ruben Vardanyan, the Tatev Revival project was launched in 2008, implemented as a charitable initiative managed by a public-private partnership.
The project is based on the idea of reconstructing a medieval Armenian monastery, reviving the academic and spiritual traditions of the monastery, as well as implementing measures to promote the development of the region's tourism infrastructure, improve the living standards of the local population and involve them in the hospitality industry.
The official start of the project was given on October 16, 2010, on the day of the launch of the Wings of Tatev cable car. All profits from the operation of the cable car go to the project fund and are intended for the reconstruction of the monastery and the development of local communities.
During the time that has passed since the opening of the "Wings of Tatev", the number of tourists visiting Tatev has increased tenfold, for example, in 2012 alone, 69 thousand visitors to the monastery used the cable car, and in the city of Goris, located at a distance of 20 km from the cable car, 10 new hotels opened. Completion of the project is scheduled for autumn 2017.
Tourists
Now the Tatev Monastery is inactive, restoration work is being carried out in it every now and then, while it is always open to tourists.
It became much easier to get to it than before: in 2010, the Tatev cable car was opened through the Vorotan Gorge, connecting the villages of Halidzor (not far from the Yerevan Highway) and, in fact, the village of Tatev.
If you are in Armenia, do not spare time for this excursion: silent, as if hovering over the surrounding mountains, Tatev makes a very strong impression.
