Great Hermitage of Tatev

The Great Hermitage of Tatev (Tatevi Mets Anapat) is a secluded monastic retreat tucked deep in the Vorotan gorge, downstream from the famous Tatev Monastery. Built mainly in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was a place of extreme asceticism, where monks withdrew into near-total isolation to pray and study amid the forest and cliffs. Its stone church and surrounding buildings sit in a hushed, almost forgotten valley, reached only by a demanding hike from Tatev or from the Devil's Bridge. For those willing to make the effort, the hermitage offers profound silence, untouched nature and a powerful sense of the contemplative life that once flourished here.