The Saint Hovhannes Chapel of Ghaltakhchi is located in the settlement of Hartagyugh, in the Spitak area of Armenia's Lori region; the settlement's earlier names include Artagyugh and Ghaltakhchi. This is why it is popularly known as the Saint Hovhannes of Ghaltakhchi.
Inside the shrine are nearly two hundred icons, hundreds of khachkars, miniature church models, and devotional booklets, brought by pilgrims over different periods.
According to oral testimonies preserved from the 1970s, Soviet local authorities blew up the chapel in order to stop the pilgrimages. Believers carried building materials up the mountain at night and rebuilt the place of prayer.
People have turned to Saint Hovhannes of Ghaltakhchi with various requests. In hopes of healing, children with nervous system conditions in particular have been brought here.
