Three halls have turned into a museum in the Tatev Monastery Complex. At the entrance to the monastery is the bell donated to the Bishop Stephanos Orbelian in 1304.
In the hall historical exhibits of the monastery complex are on display, Shoghakat TV reported. Some of them were discovered during the restoration of the monastery in 2008.
The jewel of medieval Armenian architecture, Tatev, was constructed in the 9th-13th centuries. In the past, Tatev was difficult to reach, because the winding road had to descend the steep walls of a gorge, and cross a river on the Devil’s Bridge, but now Tatev is easily accessible by the world’s longest reversible cable car.
Tatev Monastery is in the centre of the Marz of Syunik, near the village of Tatev, on a cliff overlooking the right bank of the Vorotan River. Such a remote position was strategically favorable as the monastery was simultaneously the religious and political centre of Syunik Principality, and needed to be defended. The monastery was also the residence of the Syunik Bishop with his vast lands and craft workshops. Tatev collected taxes from hundreds of villages, making it a rich monastery and educational institute.
Restoration of the monastery, re-establishing its educational legacy and reviving monastic life at Tatev is one of the main goals of Tatev Revival Program, a part of which is Wings of Tatev aerial tramway.
