The Kobayr monastery, huge and famous back in the days, is hiding in a picturesque place on the slopes of the Lori mountains. The monastery was built in the 12th century. Armenian princesses from the Kurikyan family controlled the construction process of that magnificent complex surrounded by the thick forest and mineral springs. The young ladies paid a great deal of attention to the architectural solutions of the future holy place, because they desired to become famous for their impeccable taste and big fortune that they could choose to spend on such a charitable deed.

Since the 12th century, the monastery had been busy and lively. A lot of pilgrims arrived there every day to admire its beauty and touch the relics that it was housing.

Nowadays it’s a fantastic place where unique frescoes painted in keeping with the best traditions of Byzantine, Georgian and Armenian styles and other beautiful decorative elements have been preserved.

Looking around at the ancient incredible works, you will notice that the artists painted not only saints, but also the rulers who had been dealing with the building of the complex. There are family portraits that can easily give an impression of how wealthy and noble the customers were, if they decided to immortalize themselves next to the saints.

The gorgeous monastery complex of Kobayr includes a big temple, two chapels, a bell tower, and a burial vault, a refectory, and a quite large ancient cemetery. This is why you can easily spend the whole day there wandering around and looking at that partly restored architectural treasure.

You should keep in mind that the Kobayr Monastery is not that popular with tourists. On the one hand, it is an advantage; the place is never crowded with guests. But there is also a disadvantage to it. You’ll have to get there on your own or to make an arrangement in advance, and a tour guides who are willing to meet tourists and not only help find this unusual and beautiful place, but also tell you everything about the history of the ancient families taking part in the building of the unique temples.