Lori Province - Main Cultural Interests & Religious Sites

Lori (Armenian: Լոռի, Armenian pronunciation: [lɔˈri] ), is a province (marz) of Armenia. It is located in the north of the country, bordering Georgia. Vanadzor is the capital and largest city of the province. Other important towns include Stepanavan, Alaverdi, and Spitak. It is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Haghpat and Sanahin monasteries and the well-preserved Akhtala monastery, where Armenians, Georgians, and Greeks make an annual pilgrimage on September 20–21.

The province was heavily damaged during the 1988 Armenian earthquake.

The province is served by the Stepanavan Airport.

Culture

Between the 11th and 13th centuries, the monasteries of Haghpat, Sanahin, Kobayr and Bardzrakash in Dsegh served as centers of Armenian culture, theology and science. Scholars such as Hovhannes Imastaser, Grigor Tuteordi, Davit Kobayretsi, Grigor Magistros worked in these monasteries.^[4] The House-museum of Hovhannes Tumanyan in Dsegh is among the notable cultural structures in Lori.

Fortresses and archaeological sites

• Kaytson Castle of the 10th century,
• Kayan Fortress of the 10th century,
• Akhtala Fortress of the 10th century,
• Lori Fortress of the 11th century,
• Sanahin Bridge of 1195,
• Yaghdan Bridge of the 13th century
• Sedvi Fortress of the 13th century.

Churches and monasteries

• Odzun Church of the 5th century.
• Saint George Church of Sverdlov of the 6th century,
• Horomayr Monastery of the 7th century near Odzun,
• Saint Gregory the Illuminator's Church of Dsegh, 7th century,
• Hnevank Monastery, 7th-12th centuries,
• Surp Hovhannes Monastery of Ardvi, 8th-13th centuries,
• Sanahin Monastery of the 10th century,
• Haghpat Monastery of the 10th century,
• Church of the Forty Martyrs of the 11th century,
• Khorakert Monastery of 1251 in Jiliza,
• Surp Nshan Monastery of Sedvi near Kachachkut of the 13th century,
• Church of the Holy Mother of God of Vanadzor, opened in 1831,
• Saint Nikolai the Wonderworker Russian Church of Amrakits, opened in 1848,
• Gyulagarak church of 1876.
• Russian Church of the Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary of Vanadzor, opened in 1895.

Notable natives

• Avetik Sahakyan (1863–1933), Armenian politician of the First Republic of Armenia.
• Stepan Zoryan (1889-1967), Armenian writer.
• Suren Aghababyan (1922-1986), Soviet Armenian literary critic.
• Sos Sargsyan (1929-2013), prominent actor, People's Artist of the Soviet Union.
• Artavazd Peleshyan, director and filmmaker.
• Shavarsh Karapetyan, Soviet Armenian fin-swimmer.
• Eduard Nalbandyan, Armenian politician.
• Sergei Alifirenko, Olympic gold-medalist pistol shooter.
• Tigran Sargsyan, Armenian politician.
• Stepan Sarkisyan, freestyle wrestling Olympic silver-medalist.
• Armen Gyulbudaghyants, prominent footballer and football manager.
• Gor Mkhitarian, Armenian rock musician and singer.
• Vic Darchinyan, Armenian professional boxer, three-division world champion.
• Roman Mitichyan, Armenian-American professional mixed martial artist, actor and stuntman.
• Nareh Arghamanyan, Armenian pianist, winner of the 2008 Montreal International Musical Competition.

Read more...

Gallery

• Lori

• 
  

• Odzun Church

• 

• Akhtala monastery

• 

• Northern Lori as seen from the Pushkin mountain pass

 

 

• 

• The village of Lermontovo

• Somkheti mountains and Karmir Aghek village

Lori Լոռի
Province
Coat of arms
Location of Lori within Armenia
Coordinates: 40°55′N 44°30′ECoordinates: 40°55′N 44°30′E
Country	Armenia
Capital and largest city	Vanadzor
Government
• Governor	Artur Nalbandyan
Area
• Total	3,799 km2 (1,467 sq mi)
Area rank	3rd
Population (2011)
• Total	235,537[1]
• Rank	6th
Time zone	AMT (UTC+04)
Postal code	1701–2117
ISO 3166 code	AM.LO
FIPS 10-4	AM06
Website	Official website