Khor Virap — Ararat View Monastery Pit Dungeon Khor Virap
Artashat hill fortress 180 BCE; monastery 642 CE; pit 298 CE Gregory the Illuminator imprisoned 13 years·Armenian Christian and earlier Artaxiad capital Artashat (180 BCE Arshak?)·🇦🇲 Ararat Province, near Lusarat, Arax River plain, Artashat hill, Armenia
About
About Khor Virap — Ararat View Monastery Pit Dungeon Khor Virap
Khor Virap pit 298 CE Gregory 13 years per Agathangelos, Artashat capital Xenophon. Recorded context — Period: Artashat hill fortress 180 BCE; monastery 642 CE; pit 298 CE Gregory the Illuminator imprisoned 13 years; Culture: Armenian Christian and earlier Artaxiad capital Artashat (180 BCE Arshak?); Field status: partially excavated; Materials: tuff, basalt pit; Condition: preserved.
Why it mattersKey Armenian Christian and earlier Artaxiad capital Artashat (180 BCE Arshak?) temple-complex with stratified sequence and regional typology.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Astronomical alignment
- 02Chronology and phasing
Theories
- 01Territorial marker
- 02Defensive stronghold
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 180 BCE Artaxiad fortress; pit 298 CE 6 m deep cell
- Period
- Artashat hill fortress 180 BCE; monastery 642 CE; pit 298 CE Gregory the Illuminator imprisoned 13 years
- Culture
- Armenian Christian and earlier Artaxiad capital Artashat (180 BCE Arshak?)
- Purpose
- Deep pit monastery (6 m pit where Gregory imprisoned 13 yrs by Tiridates III before converting Armenia 301 CE) before Ararat — citadel of Artashat hill
- Rediscovered
- Modern excavation 1895
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
180 BCE Artaxiad fortress; pit 298 CE 6 m deep cell
Initial construction / first occupation at Khor Virap — Ararat View Monastery Pit Dungeon Khor Virap
1990 excavation
Modern rediscovery and scientific excavation of Khor Virap — Ararat View Monastery Pit Dungeon Khor Virap
On the ground
Structures & features
39.8780° N · 44.5760° E · 820 m · 3 mapped features
- Khor Virap — Ararat View Monastery Pit Dungeon Khor Virap — Principal Templetempletemple at Khor Virap — Ararat View Monastery Pit Dungeon Khor Virap — hydraulic feature39.8771° N · 44.5776° E
- Khor Virap — Ararat View Monastery Pit Dungeon Khor Virap — Northern Altaraltaraltar at Khor Virap — Ararat View Monastery Pit Dungeon Khor Virap — hydraulic feature39.8783° N · 44.5752° E
- Khor Virap — Ararat View Monastery Pit Dungeon Khor Virap — Southern Shrineshrineshrine at Khor Virap — Ararat View Monastery Pit Dungeon Khor Virap — subsidiary complex39.8797° N · 44.5762° E
Gallery