Haghartsin

Haghartsin

Haghartsin is a village in Armenia, Tavush province, in the municipality of Dilijan. About 8 km northwest of the village is the 13th century Haghartsin Monastery. The village was founded in 1815 by Prince Jar Artsruni as Jarkhech. In 1940 it was renamed Kuybyshev after Soviet politician Valerian Kuybyshev. In 1992 it was renamed Haghartsin after the nearby Haghartsin monastery. The monastery was built between the 10th and 13th centuries, largely under the patronage of the Bagratuni dynasty. According to tradition, an eagle soared over the dome of the main building at the time of its consecration, and the monastery became known as the Monastery of the Playing or Soaring Eagle. "Hagh" means a game and "Artsin" is a form of "Artsiv", which means eagle in Armenian. In 2011, Haghartsin Monastery underwent a major renovation. Today, the complex is accessible by a tarmac road, with a gift shop, bakery and other facilities on site. In 2017, the monastery was included in the Transcaucasian Trail long-distance hiking route.