Tanahat

Vernashen, Armenia

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

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Tanahat Monastery, located 7 kilometers southeast of Vernashen village in Armenia's Vayots Dzor Province, is a major medieval Armenian religious complex built over successive centuries from the 8th to the 13th century. Known locally as the Red Monastery for its distinctive red stone construction, it was erected on the site of a pagan temple dedicated to the Armenian goddess Anahit, with Christian worship beginning in the 5th century. The monastery's most significant structures date to the late 13th century, when Prince Prosh and his family commissioned the Church of Saint Stepanos (1273–1279), constructed of dark bluish basalt and featuring inscriptions documenting its patronage. Adjacent to it stands the Church of Saint Nshan, decorated with notable medieval Armenian secular sculptures including a relief of a young horseman from the Proshian dynasty spearing a lion. The site preserves an early medieval cemetery, khachkars from the 13th to 16th centuries, and archaeological remains of administrative and educational buildings, possibly connected to Gladzor University. The monastery remained functional through the late Middle Ages and survives in good condition.