環遊世界至今，踏遍許多世界遺產。亞美尼亞的教堂，是少數讓我讚嘆不已的地方😌
從四世紀開始，這裡是世界上第一個成為基督教的國家🕇 雖然周圍被伊斯蘭教國家包圍著，也曾經被羅馬人、波斯人、蒙古人侵略，但這國度一千多年來卻都沒有消失🇦🇲
整個亞美尼亞有三座世界遺產，而在距離首都 Yerevan 一個小時車程，有兩座🚘 可惜因為於時間的關係，我們只能三選一。
這次與 Feel Armenia 合作，一天內載我們前往四座非常不同的教堂💒 舒暢的車子以及專業的導遊，讓我們在短時間內認識了這個國家😊
格加爾德修道院 Monastery of Geghard 是我這趟最喜歡的❤️ 現存中央聖堂建設於1215年至1283年期間，在基督教歷史悠久的亞美尼亞中也算是建造較早的修道院 ✝️
這座世界遺產最獨特的地方在於有許多不同時期的教堂都建在時洞穴內😲 有些洞穴的雕刻以及石柱都是一體成型的！可惜洞內光線不好，相機拍不出雕刻的細節以及震撼感。不過出來後我覺得心靈上感到極大的滿足😌
這附近另一個有名的景點是 Temple of Garni 🏛️ 單看外型會以為這是希臘的神廟！建於一至二世紀，這棟建築是亞美尼亞成為基督教國家前的最佳代表。
雖然目前看到的是重建的（先前發生過地震）但是百分之八十是使用原本的石頭。在這個都是教堂的國度，能夠看不同樣式的建築也讓人旅行覺得多點變化😊
最後要跟大家介紹的是亞美尼亞高山湖也是高加索地區最大的湖泊— Lake Sevan 塞凡湖 🏞️ 也因為這座湖泊，在內陸的亞美尼亞也能吃到新鮮的魚及龍蝦🐟
Feel Armenia 帶我們參觀了兩座在塞凡湖旁邊的修道院 🙏 建於十二世紀的 Hayravank 修道院被許多亞美尼亞十字架石環繞著 🕇
這些十字架石可是亞美尼亞獨特的世界遺產，在中古世紀時，只要是重要的地點（不管是神聖或是墳墓）都會看到它的存在😲 可惜冬季修道院沒開，無法進去裡面觀看。
另一座修道院 Sevanavank 則是建在高點上。一開始它是在一座島嶼上🏝️ 直到蘇聯領導人史達林使用人工方式抽取湖水使湖水高度降低二十公尺，才變成現在的半島位置。
此處建於九世紀，當時亞美尼亞還在嘗試脫離阿拉伯人統治🐫 原本有三座遺址，現在只剩了兩座。其中一座教堂還是可以讓人進去參觀。裡頭的十字架石雕刻精美，透過導遊的解釋可以在整塊石頭上了解聖經中的故事🙏
這次的一日遊是與 #FeelArmenia 合作，它們家有許多特殊的行程，大家可以參考看看➡️ https://feelarmenia.com 😊
其實在首都 Yerevan 有許多可行的一日遊行程，當時為了選擇到底唯一的一天可以去那裡時傷透了腦筋！到時候會再整理網誌跟大家分享，現在就請大家先看照片吧～😘
#亞美尼亞 #世界遺產 #高加索
Armenia is the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as state religion since 4th century🕇 The monasteries here are truly spectacular, some truly worth it's UNESCO title❤️
Due to lack of time in Armenia, we went on a day trip with #FeelArmenia and saw 4 different monasteries each with its own unique differences😌
Our favourite was the #UNESCO Geghard Monastery built in Medieval times 🇦🇲 It was being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by cliffs⛰️
Some of the temples were carved entirely inside a cave😲 Honestly, the craftsmanship was truly stunning. Unfortunately, my camera couldn't capture the details in dim lighting🕯️ However, it was truly one of the few places in the world where I walked out feeling amazed😌
The Temple of Garni nearby despite being reconstructed using 80% of the original stones 🏛️ It was built in 1st to 2nd century between Armenia turns into a Christian country.
It is the only standing Greco-Roman colonnaded building in Armenia🇦🇲 With so many monasteries in the country, it's great to see something different😁
After seeing monasteries with mountainous background, our guide took us to Lake Sevan, it is the largest high altitude lake in the Caucasus region🏞️
Thanks to Lake Sevan, this landlocked country gets to enjoy delicious seafood such as trout and crayfishes 🐟
We visited Hayravank Monastery that was built in the 12th century. Surrounding the monastery are numerous khachkars and gravestones that are part of a small cemetery🕇 Unfortunately it was winter and the monastery wasn't open for viewing😔
The other Sevanavank monastery is the more famous one✝️ Originally built on an island, Stalin ordered the lake to be drained and the water level dropped 20cm hence now it's on a peninsula⛰️
This monastery was built in the 9th century while Armenia is still under Arab invasion 🐪 Out of 3 sites only 2 still left standing. One particular Armenian cross-stone in one of the churches was in great detail. Thanks to our guide Tamara we could understand what's underneath those carvings 🙂
There are actually many great day trips out from Yerevan and we really had a hard time choosing which one to do😝 Definitely need to come back to this region & give ourselves more time to explore😊
#FeelArmenia is a travel company dedicated to unique Armenian experiences and surrounds🇦🇲 Definitely check out their website for more travel inspirations ➡️ https://feelarmenia.com 😁
#Armenia #UNESCO #Yerevan
