Haghartsin Monastery sits in a forested valley a few kilometres north of Dilijan, reached by a road that winds through beech and oak trees. The complex consists of three churches — Saint Gregory, Saint Stepanos, and the Cathedral of Saint Astvatsatsin — along with a 13th-century royal dining hall and a scattering of khachkars (cross-stones) that are among the finest examples of this distinctly Armenian art form. The main church dates to the 10th century; the complex was expanded by the Zakarian princes in the 12th and 13th centuries.
The setting is exceptional. The monastery sits at the bottom of a narrow wooded valley and the forest closes in closely on all sides, muffling sound and softening the light. Haghartsin and Goshavank can be visited together in a half-day loop from Dilijan — the drive between them passes through some of the best forested landscape in Armenia.