Goshavank Monastery is situated in the northeast of Armenia, in the Tavush region, about a 1.5- to 2-hour drive from Yerevan.
Goshavank is a medieval monastery, nestled on one of the forested hills near Dilijan. It was built in the 12th–13th centuries and named after the Armenian scholar and writer Mkhitar Gosh, whose statue was placed in front of the monastery in 2013.
Mkhitar Gosh played a major role in the foundation of the monastery and taught in the monastery’s school during his final years.
The monastery was established on the site of an earlier religious complex, Getik, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1188. With the support of Prince Ivan Zakaryan, Mkhitar Gosh began the construction of a new complex, which would later become a major religious, cultural, and educational center in medieval Armenia.
Goshavank consists of several churches, chapels, a gavit (narthex), a bell tower, and a school building. The main church, St. Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God), is known for its simple elegance and solid stone construction.
The monastery is also home to some of the finest khachkars (cross-stones) in the country, including a particularly famous one carved in 1291, often considered a masterpiece of Armenian stonework.
The monastery is not known for its rich interior or frescoes; instead, its walls are covered with numerous inscriptions left by travelers and religious visitors over the centuries. These inscriptions, in a way, tell the story of the monastery.
Mkhitar Gosh, the founder of the monastery, is best known as the author of the Datastanagirk, a legal code that laid the foundation for civil law in medieval Armenia. He believed that every sin should carry not only a religious, but also a legal consequence.
His book later became a foundational influence for modern Armenia’s constitution. Mkhitar Gosh’s grave is located not far from the main complex, on a small hill inside a chapel clearly visible from the monastery.
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