Sevanavank Monastery

The medieval monastery located on the peninsula, 3km from the city of Sevan. It is made up of a complex of small buildings that were built in the 9th century. What started out as several cells and a chapel, as the number of monks increased so a monastery was built on the orders of Princess Mariam, daughter of King Ashot I in 874.

The level of Lake Sevan was higher than it is today, so this monastic complex was located on an island. After the lake was drained the level fell, and it is now a peninsula. The columns of this monastery were important examples of Armenian wood-carving art and are now preserved in the Armenian State History Museum.