Petros and Poghos Chapels

Late Medieval - Near Akunk Village, Kotayk Marz

The shrines or chapels of Petros and Poghos (Peter and Paul) lie at the foot of a steep hill. The chapels are built where the hill is split with a stream and caves and springs. There is a perfect picnic area and exploration will show a lot of beautiful obsidian specimens, and the carvings of Petros and Poghos into the stone of the hillside as well. In addition to the hillside carving, there are two separate shrines, both very small. The Petros shrine is a cute little structure, while the Poghos shrine has been made outright ugly with a recent metal addition.

On the day I went, there were numerous hang-gliders in the air and they were visible from the shrines. This destination is not too far from Yerevan, and is a good spot for a change of scenery and a picnic.

"Returning by the other branch of the T, one passes Zar (1350 p), and Akunk (1800 p, Armenians and Kurds, until 1946 Bashgyugh, by which it is still known), founded in 1829. A paved spur goes N from the Akunk-Zar road 0.5 km E of Akunk, leading to a striking fold in the rock with the late medieval Poghos-Petros shrine* =25= below a series of caves and springs, since antiquity and even today a place of pilgrimage and sacrifice. There are cyclopean fort remains nearby, and the hillsides between Zar and Akunk are rich in Paleolithic and Neolithic open air workshops." (Source: Rediscovering Armenia Guidebook.