Monastery
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Geghard Monastery
Geghard Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Kotayk Province, is a renowned medieval monastic complex partially carved directly into the adjacent mountain cliffs. Founded in the 4th century by Saint Gregory the Illuminator at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave, the monastery was originally named Ayrivank ('Monastery of the Cave'). Later renamed Geghardavank ('Monastery of the Spear') after housing the Holy Lance that pierced Jesus on the Cross, this mystical complex is famed for its uncanny chamber acoustics, ancient rock-cut chapels, and reports of disembodied choral chanting echoing from its pitch-black stone chambers.