The village of Odzun is well-known throughout Armenia and among tour guides, so I won’t cover it separately. Instead, I’ll highlight two important nearby attractions: the Chapel of St. Nshan and Horomayr Monastery, located at the bottom of Lori Gorge.
On the left side of the road from Odzun to Aygehat, right at the edge of Lori Gorge, stands a small chapel called Surb Nshan. Though it shares its name with many other chapels, this one is remarkable for its dramatic position perched directly on the rim of a vast, deep canyon.
Surb Nshan, Odzun
As for Horomayr – A monastery in such a breathtaking location that no amount of storytelling or photography can capture the full impact of actually being there.
Horomayr Monastery is a monastic complex in the Lori Province of Armenia. The monastery is built on the cliffs and located 1 km south of the village of Odzun and 34 km east from Stepanavan, Lori province of Armenia.
I think it’s worth noting that Horomayr Monastery sits in an extremely difficult-to-reach location: nestled in a canyon beneath towering rock formations, accessible only with an experienced guide and specialized climbing equipment.
Horomayr Monastery view from the shore of the Canyon near Surb Nshan, Odzun. Photo by Vardan Papikyan // Desuden.com.
From the top of the gorge, you get a stunning view of the surrounding mountains, especially beautiful at sunset when the effect is magnified. At the bottom of the gorge, you can see the interstate highway connecting Vanadzor to Alaverdi, which has been completely renovated in recent years.
View of Vanadzor-Alaverdi highway from Odzun canyon
So next time you’re traveling from Stepanavan to Odzun, take 10-15 minutes to stop and enjoy the spectacular views from Surb Nshan Chapel and see the Horomayr Monastery tucked away in the gorge below.
