This overgrown masterpiece has a bell tower, fine khachkars and monastic cells around the main 13th-century Surp Dadi church. Watch out for holes into underground cisterns and chambers as you walk around. The princes of Upper Khachen are buried under the floor of the main church’s gavit, the distinctive Armenian entrance to the church that also functions as a mausoleum. The monastery has the most extraordinary position, and is quite a challenge to reach, but well worth the effort.
