The Pagan Temple at Garni and the Geghard Monastery

Today we visited the Classical Hellenistic Temple at Garni, thought to have been constructed in the 1st century AD, and dedicated to the sun god Mihr. It is the only Greco-Roman building with colonnades in Armenia. The temple remains as one of a few symbols of pre-Christian Armenia.

The temple was destroyed in a 1679 earthquake whose epicenter was believed to have been located in the gorge that surrounds Garni. Although the structure was devastated by the quake, most of the original construction stones were scattered around the site. From 1969 to 1975, the temple underwent reconstruction.

We also had the opportunity to visit the Monastery Complex at Geghard, a short distance from Garni. We were told that Geghard had a mystical quality, a point with which we could not argue. It is beautiful, as the following photos will show…

We returned to Yerevan for a great dinner and relaxation.