A Windy Afternoon Encounter at Sevan Monastery

Thursday, February 19, 2026, the third day of the Lunar New Year At 2:38 PM local time, after finishing lunch, we climbed the stairs beside the restaurant up the hill to visit Sevan Monastery. Sevan Monastery is located on a peninsula on the northwest shore of Lake Sevan in Armenia. It was originally built in 874 AD and is one of the important medieval religious sites in Armenia. The monastery was constructed under the supervision of the Armenian princess Mariam at the time. It was initially built on a small island in the lake, relatively isolated. During the Soviet era in the 20th century, water engineering projects caused the lake level to drop about 20 meters, connecting the original island to the shore and turning it into a peninsula. The monastery was once closed but later reopened. Today, it serves both as a religious site and an important cultural tourism destination offering panoramic views of Lake Sevan. The wind on the hill was very strong, chilling our faces, ears, and fingers. We didn’t stay long and soon went back down to the car.