Haghpat is a monastery on a ledge, and the ledge is steep. The road from Alaverdi climbs through a series of tight bends, up from the Debed canyon to a village of stone houses and orchards on the plateau, where the monastery stands behind a low wall, its dark domes and gabled roofs catching the light. It was founded in the late tenth century, under the patronage of the Kiurikid royal family, and its main church, dedicated to the Holy Cross, was finished in the early 990s.
What strikes you first is the way the buildings cluster. The main church, the chapels, the refectory, the bell tower and a library are packed into a small space, each leaning on its neighbour, with narrow passages between them. Inside, the church is dim and cool, with a vault of dark stone and a few bright frescoes surviving. In the courtyard, carved crosses stand in the grass among the graves of monks and nobles, and the bell tower, a three-storey structure of pale stone, rises beside them. A famous khachkar of the thirteenth century, with a pattern of astonishing delicacy, is among the finest in Armenia.
Visitors come on foot or by car from the village, and the lane is narrow, with limited parking, so do not expect to get a coach in. For a motorcycle, the climb is a pleasure, with a view of the valley opening up at each turn, but watch for gravel and cows. Fuel is available in Alaverdi, about three kilometres below, and the village at the top has a small shop and a few homes selling honey and dried fruit.
Come early, or come late. In the middle of the day the buses arrive, and the courtyard fills with voices. At the edge of the day the place is quiet, with the sun slanting through the arches and the swifts wheeling over the roofs. It is a place that reminds you how much patient craftsmanship went into the buildings of this small, mountainous country.