Autumn Years Summer 2024

to the church. This site was selected so that the monastery could be more easily protected in times of war. The outside of this church is spectacular. A staircase is actually part of the front of the church, although climbing it invites possible in jury and death. Narrow steps leading up the front, no handrails and the height from the top combine for a nasty fall. The lower part of the church is entered through a small doorway into the dark interior, which is lit by a few candles. On the way to our next stop, we decid ed to have another Armenian delicacy. Karkandak or potato pie is a deep fried potato-filled dough similar to a stuffed zeppoli of Italian cuisine. Armash is a small Armenian village known for its storks. As we drove into the town, mul berry trees lined both sides of the streets. It seems every pole and high point has a round nest upon which sits a large stork and her young. A pleasurable time was had as we slowly drove down this avenue of storks and, with our auto’s open sun roof, picked and ate ripe mulberries.

is denied, no expedition can be launched to investigate. Seeing Mt. Ararat is diffi cult as it is nearly always obstructed by clouds. We sat in a small roadside grove and watched as the clouds swirled above the peaks and were rewarded by a few minutes of a clear view. While waiting, we munched on fresh strawberries and cherries from a nearby farm. The owner of the grove was a friend of our guide and brought us sujukh, a dried fruit and walnut concoction sealed in a thick fruit jelly, and gata, a round bread filled with vanilla, sugar and walnuts. Again, the friendly and welcoming nature of Arme nian people cannot be denied. Next we headed to Noravank, which translates into New Church as it was built in 1105; it is the newest one of all the monasteries we were seeing. As one drives to Noravank, you are treated to dramatic scenery including a drive through a narrow ravine of multicolored stone that almost looks like a Hollywood set. Built on a hilltop surrounded by tall mountains, there is only one way to get

The entrance to the Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Armenia.

believed that many of the disciples took objects from their master’s crucifixion as mementos of his existence. However, the most compelling reason for this to be believed the original comes from carbon dating studies done by an English organ ization. Of the four spearheads claimed to be the one, only this one is carbon dated to the era of the crucifixion. Our next drive was to Khor Virap, which translates into Deep Dungeon. This monastery sits atop a high hill on the ruins of an ancient city near the Turkish border. It gained its name from the fact that St. Gregory the Illuminator was thrown into and kept in a dungeon here for 13 years until he cured the king of an illness and convinced him to con vert to Christianity in 301 A.D. A church was first built on this location in 642. Standing tall above all is the famous Mt. Ararat covered in snow and sur rounded by a halo of clouds. Mt. Ararat is the supposed resting place of Noah’s Ark. As it now sits in Turkey and access to it

Khor Virap monastery with Mount Ararat in the distance.

54 AUTUMN YEARS I SUMMER 2024