A dirty, bumpy road brought us deep into a river valley to Marmashen Monastery. It is quite an unusual location for the monastery because medieval monasteries in Armenia were almost always constructed in elevated locations. Three churches hewn from lovely orange-colored tuff clustered together here, the most impressive of which is the 10th-century Surp Stepanos. A ruined 13th-century gavit is next to the church, and beautiful carved tombs and khachkars dot the surrounding landscape.
Parking location – Marmashen: 40.843651N 43.756899E