Hayravank Monastery: The "Father Monastery" of Lake Sevan and the Legend of the Doves

Hayravank Monastery: The "Father Monastery" of Lake Sevan and the Legend of the Doves

On a rocky promontory above the southwestern shore of Lake Sevan, at an elevation of nearly 1,900 meters, stands one of Armenia’s most evocative medieval complexes: Hayravank Monastery. Smaller and less visited than its famous neighbor Sevanavank, Hayravank rewards the traveler with an equally commanding view over Armenia’s “blue pearl” — and with a body of legend that has made it, for centuries, one of the most storied sacred sites on the lake.…