The Arch of Charents or The Temple Of Ararat

If you are planning a trip to the pagan Temple Garni or Geghard Monastery, make sure to stop near this arch on your way to enjoy the view towards the biblical Mount Ararat! This article provides brief information about it.

The Arch of Charents, also known as the Temple of Ararat, is a monument situated in the village of Voghjaberd, Kotayk region, on the right side of the Yerevan-Garni road, at an altitude of 1500 meters.

In the mid-1950s, architect Rafael Israelyan was driving along the road leading to Garni when he noticed a magnificent view of Mount Ararat from the hill of Voghjaberd village. Intrigued by the scene, the architect decided to build an arch in that location.

The memorial was erected in 1957, and originally, the architect intended to pay tribute to mount Ararat, naming it "The Temple of Ararat." Several flights of stairs lead to the top of the hill, where the temple is located. Upon reaching it, Mount Ararat unfolds in front of the viewer at all hours of the day, fully framed within the arches' opening.

The arch is constructed externally of basalt and internally lined with orange tuff. The composition of the arch is rectangular in plan: 10 x 5.5 m, with a height of 5 m.

A close friend and neighbor of Israelyan, the renowned Armenian painter Martiros Saryan, inspired by the structure, created his famous painting "The Arch of Charents" in 1958.

Engraved along the arch are lines from the poem "I am my sweet Armenia" by the great Armenian poet Yeghishe Charents.

“Աշխարհ անցիր, Արարատի նման ճերմակ գագաթ չկա,

Ինչպես անհաս փառքի ճամփա, ես իմ Մասիս սարն եմ սիրում։

Go around the world, there is no white peak like Ararat.

Like the path of unripe glory, I love my Mount Masis."

Consequently, among Armenians, the arch is better known as "The Arch of Charents" rather than the Temple of Ararat.