A Brief Pictorial Visit to
the Khor Veerab Monastery
Many of us know the event that took place towards the end of the third century that culminated with the conversion of the Armenian people to Christianity in 301 A.D. and thereby gaining the distinction of being the first Christian nation.  When the Armenian people begin the celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of this event next year, the year 2001, the pilgrimages and celebrations will begin at Khor Veerab, the "Deep Pit" in which St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years.  He survived all those years through prayer and faith in God, along with the food that was provided by the Khosroveedtookhd, the Christian sister of King Drtad.  It was King Drtad who had imprisoned St. Gregory in the Khor Veerab because St. Gregory was Christian and refused to worship the pagan gods.  However, the King became spiritually ill after killing the nuns headed by St. Kayane, and the king's sister saw in a dream that only St. Gregory who was in the pit could heal him through prayer.  St. Gregory was freed from the pit, he prayed and healed the king, and the Armenian royal court along with the nobles converted to Christianity followed by the remainder of the population.  This is how the Armenian people became the first in accepting Christianity as a nation.

Below is a pictorial visit to the Khor Veerab compound.  Enjoy!  Better yet, see if you can attend the pilgrimages in Armenia during 2001!

1. Approaching the compound from
the east, Yerevan.
The Church is seen on the hill with
Mt. Ararat in the background.

2. A closer look at the Monastery compound.

3. The Church in the compound next to the Khor Veerab is a later addition. It is a pilgrimage site during all the feast days of
St. Gregory the Illuminator.

4. The actual Pit is about 25 feet in diameter and 20 feet high. It can only be accessed with a ladder through a very small opening.
St. Gregory spent 13 years in this pit. 
Although the Pit is dry and clean now, it was a damp dungeon filled with snakes and other dangerous animals at the time.  Spending 13 years in that pit took a lot more spiritual strength than many could imagine today. 

5. A look across the border from
the Khor Veerab compound
into Western Armenia,
now occupied by Turkey.

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