Twenty minutes south of Yerevan is the Khor Virap monastery which sits on a flat plain dwarfed by Mount Ararat. Khor Virap literally means Big Hole and the man responsible for Armenias religious renaissance, St Gregory the Illuminator, was thrown into one here by a displeased King Trdat III.

Close to the capital is the superb Roman temple at Garni. Dating from the 2nd century BC, it was a pagan temple to the sun and part of a royal palace complex. Not far beyond here is the church of Gerghad, meaning Holy Lance, and referring to the one kept at Etchmiadzin. Several dark chambers display intricate carvings only just discernable in the flickering candlelight. The chapel, carved into the rock behind the main church, has the most extraordinary acoustics.

Armenia is also home to a number of monasteries, many situated in Lori Province to the north of Lake Sevan, two of which, Haghpat and Sanahin, are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.