The Armenian monastery partly cut into the cliffs of the Azat Valley is Geghard.
Geghard is a medieval Armenian Apostolic monastery in Kotayk Province, southeast of Yerevan. Parts of the complex were carved directly into the surrounding cliffs, while other churches combine rock-cut chambers with freestanding stone architecture. Its dramatic setting is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing known as the Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley.
The site began as a cave monastery in the 4th century, traditionally associated with Gregory the Illuminator. Its earlier name, Ayrivank, means “Monastery of the Cave.” The name Geghard, meaning “spear,” refers to a tradition that the spear used to wound Jesus at the Crucifixion was once kept there; the relic is now associated with the treasury at Echmiadzin. The main chapel dates from 1215.
Haghpat and Tatev are also important Armenian monasteries, but neither is the cliff-carved complex in the Azat gorge. Noravank is famous for its red-rock setting, not for being partly cut into the cliffs.