KHOR VIRAP MONASTERY

A few km north of Ararat, the monastery of Khor Virap rises behind modest ramparts on a small mound, among vineyards and orchards fertilized by the nearby Araxe River. The site, magical by the force of the landscape, dominated by the tutelary silhouette of the snow-covered Ararat, is imbued with the presence of Gregory the Illuminator. At the foot of the monastery, one can visit the well (Khor Virap literally means "deep pit") into the darkness of which the "Illuminator" of Armenia was plunged for 13 years before King Tiridate III, gnawed by illness and remorse, brought him out. Saint Gregory healed the king who converted to Christianity. Churches were built very early on the site of Gregory's Calvary, within a monastery where a multitude of manuscripts were produced, but the present buildings, the Churches of the Blessed Virgin and the Holy Illuminator, date from 1661. The site is worth less for its architectural value than for the "deep pit" it contains, which makes it a major place of pilgrimage for Armenians, and for the power of the landscape with the Ararat nearby.

At the foot of the ramparts, a space is provided for pilgrims performing the "madagh", a sacrifice of cocks, usually on Sundays. The peasants also bring their sheep there to sacrifice them according to the rules, making the animal go around the building seven times and having it blessed by a priest before putting it to death. A spectacle that can offend sensitive souls.