Armenia - 2013

The acoustics in this wonderful space were amazing. Although the oldest parts of the monastery date from the 10th century, Hamazasp was built around 1257.

A cross carved centuries ago in one of the magnificent pillars of Hamazasp at Haghpat Monastery.

Haghpat Monastery, with the bell tower in the foreground, and a sense of its beautiful location in the background.

We decided to walk between Haghpat and Sanahin, and thought we would find the way quite easily. We did make it, but are not too sure if we went the most direct way possible. We only got directions once, and they were quite vague, and we don't feel like we followed them, but in hindsight, there did not appear to be a better alternative. Anyway, so maybe we were lost, and maybe we weren't, but on the way we encountered this fantastic little church amongst ruins. It sat on a rocky outcrop just below the plateau that Sanahin sits on. There were cliffs below, cliffs opposite, and cliffs along the sides of the plateau. The little sanctuary was tidy and had a few candle stubs, and was therefore visited by worshippers on occasion. However, we still felt like it was our little discovery because of the remote setting, difficult approach, and the ruins around it.

We got here much later in the day than we had planned. The fading light, though, seemed to add to the atmosphere of such a place.

Some of the beautiful, unrestored frescoes at Akhtala. These frescoes are 800 years old, and are in high concentration in this church. Later, the priest found us waiting by the roadside. Waiting for a bus he said was not coming any more. So he drove us down the next few kilometres to the main highway so we could pick up passing transport there.

Inside the 17th century church called Zoravar in Yerevan.

It is claimed that this is the head of the spear that was used by a soldier to pierce the side of Jesus Christ while he was on the cross to check if he was dead. It is easy to be sceptical about whether it is the genuine article, just as easy as it is to blindly believe it is what they say. Personally, I see no reason to doubt it, considering the item has been kept by the Armenian church for over 1700 years, and therefore it was collected relatively soon after the event. That said, for us it is not important whether it is genuine or not, it still acts as a reminder of the event. As long as the object itself is not venerated and it is treated more as a historic item than a particularly holy one, then I see it as an illustration of the type of spear that would have been used. And perhaps, just perhaps, it really is the one.

Mount Ararat emerges from the clouds behind the 7th century ruins of Surp Grigor Lusavorich at Zvartnots, near Yerevan.