Sightseeing Around Lake Sevan
Sevanavank
Sevanavank stands on a peninsula north-east of Sevan town, about 5 km by road. An inscription dates its founding to 874, by Princess Mariam, daughter of Ashot I. Two churches remain: Surp Arakelots, the Holy Apostles, and Surp Astvatsatsin, the Holy Mother of God. Both are cruciform with octagonal drums. The peninsula was an island until the lake level fell by about 20 m from the Stalin era onward.
Entry is free. Sources give differing opening hours, so treat it as open daily in daylight and check locally. The climb from the car park is about 200 uneven stone steps, and some have no railings. The site is an active place of worship: cover shoulders and knees, keep quiet inside and leave beachwear for the shore. Scarves are often available at the entrance.
The Sevan Writers’ House
Close by on the peninsula, the Writers’ House was built as a guest house for the Armenian Writers’ Union. Gevorg Kochar and Mikael Mazmanyan designed it, and it went up from 1932 to 1935, with a lounge added by Kochar in 1963 to 1965. A guest description mentions a large circular dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows on a concrete pillar, and bedrooms in a separate wing. It is listed as a small hotel on booking sites.
Hayravank
Hayravank is a monastery on a rock outcrop above the water, in Hayravank village in Gavar municipality, about 20 km along the western shore from Sevan town. The late 9th-century church has a four-apse cruciform plan with an octagonal drum and conical dome, and the wider complex dates from the 9th to 12th centuries. It is free to visit. Read more: Day trips to Sevan .
Noratus Cemetery
Noratus, also spelled Noraduz, lies about 30 to 35 km south of Sevan by road and about 90 km from Yerevan. Several hundred to almost a thousand khachkars, carved cross-stones, stand across about 7 ha. The oldest date from the late 10th century, and many come from the 16th and 17th centuries. It is described as the largest surviving khachkar cemetery since the loss of Old Julfa. The village church of St Astvatsatsin dates from the late 9th century. The master carver Kiram Kazmogh, who lived from 1551 to 1610, is linked with the site.
Legend has it that villagers propped helmets and swords on the stones so that Tamerlane’s army saw armed defenders and withdrew. It is a folk tale. The cemetery is free, the ground is flat and grassy, and visitors should walk quietly and never climb on the stones.
Lchashen
Lchashen, a Bronze Age fortress and burial ground a few kilometres south-west of Sevan town, is ruins with little interpretation. The wooden wagons found in its tombs, dated to the 15th and 14th centuries BC, are displayed in the History Museum of Armenia in Yerevan.
Planning
Sevan National Park protects the lake. A hired driver is the easiest way to link the four sights along the western shore. Compare guided packages on GetYourGuide . See the official park site at sevanpark.am for general information.