Principality of Varanda

The timeline of the Amaras Monastery is tied to the history of the Principality of Varanda—one of the five feudal entities which continued the tradition of Armenian statehood after the disintegration of the Kingdom of Armenia in the medieval times.

Amaras is located in the eastern part of Varanda, where Artsakh mountains gradually give way to the vast and fertile lowlands known for their mulberry orchards, wheat fields and legendary vineyards that produce the medicinal Hindeghna grapes. The Armenian historian and novelist Raffi who studied Nagorno Karabakh in his seminal work “Melikdoms of Khamsa” mentions that the lands of Varanda begin from the River Meghraget in the north and end with the Dizapait mountains in the south.

The political center of Varanda and the seat of its melik (prince) was in the historical town of Avetaranots (Armenian: Ավետարանոց), which is situated in the Varanda Valley and is surrounded by dense forests that grow on the slopes of Mount Kirs. The name of the town originates from the Armenian word Avetaran, which means “Gospel.” According to the legend, Vachagan III the Pious (487–510), ruler of Armenia’s Kingdom of Aghvank, spent his last years as a monk in Avetaranots where he studied the Holy Scripture. Locals call the town Utranots.