Surprise on Sevan Highway: The Sanctuary of St. Vartan in Vartenis

By Lucine Kasbarian

Lake Sevan, the largest fresh water lake of the Caucasus region,is a precious vacation spot within land-locked Armenia. For some, a journey to Lake Sevan includes visiting the Sevan Peninsula to swim and sail along its beachfronts, and to explore Armenian food stands and souvenir vendors.

The foremost cultural attraction of Lake Sevan is the medieval Sevanavank monastery, which for centuries housed wayward Armenian monks doing penance. Until the 1960s, Sevanavank was situated on an island off Lake Sevan until artificial draining of the Lake during the Stalin era created the peninsula we see today. The Sevan monastic complex houses two churches, Sourp Arakelots and Sourp Astvadzadzin.

Of course, a Lake Sevan journey would not be complete without tasting the indigenous Ishkhan (prince) trout fish. Costs are pricy for the natural variety, which has become endangered from overfishing. (Farm-raised varieties are more affordable but not as delicious). There is even a Sevan Trout Festival every July featuring fishing and cooking competitions and live music.

Other notable tourist spots in the area include the Noratus Cemetery–hosting the largest remaining cluster of medieval Armenia khatchkars in the world; the Sevan Writer’s House–a noteworthy example of Soviet modernist architecture built in the 1930s as a retreat for writers and artists; and the flower-shaped Spendiarian Water Spill–a reservoir to divert water to Lake Sevan through the Vorotan-Arpa tunnel, aiming to help restore the lake’s dropping water levels.

The Lake also hosts hundreds of beach resorts and hotels, large and small, along the Sevan coast. Some of the more remote beach outposts can be found on Shorzha — along the eastern shore of the Lake Sevan perimeter. Some restricted glamping resorts notwithstanding, visitors can expect to find free entry or pay a nominal fee to lay on the beach in a peaceful, undisturbed and often pleasingly underdeveloped environment. This area is also where Armenian government officials have exclusive summer residences.

When asked what I would like to do at Lake Sevan, I replied “to drive the full boundary of the Lake.” And so began a 7-8 hour road trip that covered the 200-kilometer perimeter of the “blue pearl of Armenia.”

The most pleasurable excursions were to Shorzha 1 Beach, freely open to the public, where the famously chilly Sevan waters are warmest between 4-6 pm for swimming, and Wishup (Vishap) Shore, a laid-back beachfront and campground.

This scenic perimeter road passed by several villages, including Gavar, Martuni and Vartenis — one of the very last. Vartenis, situated at the far southeast corner of the Lake and close to the border with Azerbaijan, has become better known in recent years as a village under Azeri fire.

Driving through Vartenis, I was struck by how kind and gentle the natives were – with a kind of virtue that is scarcely found today. When asked about local cultural centers we could visit, we were told there were, unfortunately, none. However, we were directed to a pilgrimage site few seem to know about: The Holy Spring of St. Vartan (Mamigonian).

The Sanctuary of St. Vartan in Vartenis is one of the shrines on the territory of historic Armenia traditionally associated with episodes of the Armenian liberation wars of the 5th century.

The sanctuary is located on the western part of the Vartenis-Ayrk road, where a spring naturally flows out from under a rock and continues through a stream to the south.

According to the legend preserved among the inhabitants of Vartenis, General Vartan spent the night at this spot, hurrying from Aghvank (near the Kur and Arax Rivers) to the battlefield of Avarayr.

Signage at the site explains that, based on current research, it is difficult to make definitive historic conclusions. However, it says that preliminary observations and existing data suggest that this site could be related to the movement of the Armenian military detachment retreating from Avarayr to Artsakh. (In the present day, the fields of Avarayr are located in northwestern Iran, near the village of Chors, close to the border with historic Armenian Nakhchivan. Avarayr was historically part of the Armenian region of Vaspurakan).

Today, this Holy Spring is a travel destination for Christian pilgrims. Many seek the healing properties of this spring water — which inexplicably emerges from under a rock — to cure illness and bring good fortune to loved ones. The spring is also a gathering place for locals seeking a beautiful, serene spot for contemplation and congregation.

The Avarayr Plain is known for the historic Battle of Avarayr which took place there in 451 AD when Armenians fought the Persians to retain their Christian identity during the Persian quest to convert the Armenians to Zoroastrianism.

Since 2020, Vartenis as well as several other Armenian towns, including Jermuk (Vayots Dzor province), Goris (Syunik province) and Sotk (Gergharkunik province) have come under attack by Azerbaijani armed forces. The outbreaks became so frequent that personnel from the European Union have been stationed there to monitor and report on border attacks, which were and still are daily occurrences from the Azeri side. Residential houses, farmers and shepherds are still under siege and resident displacement has been common.

There is an attractive Armenian church in the center of Vartenis. In the hills, there are a couple of chapels and khachkars near Ayrk. There are two nearby monasteries, too: The gorgeous Makenyats Monastery (851) by the river in Makenis village, west of Vardenis, and the beautiful Vanevan Monastery (903) which has been restored and is located by the river in the village of Vanevan, west of Vardenis. There are some small caves above it.

The Janapar hiking trail (now inaccessible to Armenians) culminated in Vartenis. When in operation, this 285-km-long trail in now-Azeri-occupied Artsakh involved 8-16 days of hiking, starting from the southern end of the trail in Hardrut, Artsakh and ending in Vartenis, Armenia.

We hope that more residents of and visitors to Armenia will make a point of traveling to Vartenis to explore our historical heritage, engage with the youth and offer encouragement and opportunities to the residents there who are staying on the land to preserve it for the global Armenian nation.