Khor Virap

Ararat · Armenia · Monastery

Gregory spent thirteen years in the snake pit — and when the king was struck by madness, it was the prisoner at the bottom who was hauled up to cure him.

Beneath the monastery at the foot of Mount Ararat gapes Khor Virap, the deep pit: six metres down into the rock, said by legend to crawl with snakes, scorpions and venomous vermin and to reek of rotting flesh. King Tiridates III had the missionary Gregory thrown in here and forgot him. But Gregory did not die — a widow nearby was given a dream vision telling her the prisoner still lived, and for thirteen years she secretly lowered bread down through the hole.

Then madness took the king, and no one could cure him. Legend says the answer came in a dream to the king's sister: bring up the man from the pit. Gregory rose out of the dark, healed Tiridates — and in 301 Armenia became the world's first Christian nation. Those who dare still climb down the iron ladder and stand where he lay.

FAQ

Where is Khor Virap located?

Khor Virap is in Ararat, Armenia.

More haunted places in Ararat

• Devil's Bridge at Tatev Sjunik · Bridge

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons