Varagavank, the "Monastery of Varag," sits 9 km southeast of the city on the lower slope of Mount Erek. Founded in the eighth century around what was said to be a fragment of the True Cross brought from Armenia, it grew into one of the most important religious centres for the Armenians of the Van region — a complex of seven linked churches that earned it the Turkish nickname Yedi Kilise.
What is left today is a single ruined church, its frescoes badly faded but in places still visible. The site sits next to a Kurdish village whose stone houses incorporate medieval church masonry. There is no entry fee and almost no signage; getting here requires a taxi or your own car. The view across the plain back to Van is reason enough to make the trip.