Culture
- Celebration
The anniversary of the deliverance of Gregory is also celebrated in the Illuminator’s cathedral built in Erivan. On New Year's Day, light is brought from Khor Virap as a religious celebration. In a recent event, Catholicos Garegin II climbed down the same deep prison pit where the first Catholicos Grigor had passed many agonizing years, and came out of the pit by holding a lighted candle as symbol of the light that illuminated Armenians several centuries ago. As a pilgrimage centre, people visit Khor Virap for baptism or subsequent to a wedding to perform a matagh animal sacrifice.
- Tourism
The monastery attracts a very large number of tourists and there are a number of souvenir kiosks here. Of interest for visitors is the releasing of doves from Khor Virap with the hope they will fly to Mount Ararat.
In the mid-1990s, young volunteers for the Canadian Youth Mission to Armenia, CYMA, helped renovate/restore the cathedral.
Read more about this topic: Khor Virap
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