Goshavank (Armenia)

Goshavank is the perfect illustration of something the Armenians are immensely proud of, something I heard mentioned repeatedly during my stay in the country: "We were the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion". And I could definitely see evidence of this in the incredible number of monasteries there are scattered everywhere, often in the most inaccessible of locations.

This is especially the case with the magnificent Goshavank Monastery, which, though unfortunately no longer in use, was once an important cultural and religious centre in the country, and also housed one of its best book collections, in a library which was unfortunately destroyed by fire. As it lies not far from Lake Sevan, this is a good place to come for a day trip, and the area around the monastery also offers some wonderful opportunities for hiking.