The Surb Astvatsatsin Church of Karaglukh

The Surb Astvatsatsin Church of Karaglukh

Location

The church is located in the center of the village of Karaglukh, in the Hadrut region of Artsakh.

Historical overview

No precise data survive regarding the church’s construction. However, given the building type and the fact that Makar Barkhudaryants already mentions the church in his work published in 1895, it is reasonable to предполагել that it was built in the 19th century (Barkhudaryants 1895, 64).

Architectural and compositional description

The monument is a single-nave hall church built of roughly dressed light-brown stone. It is vaulted, and its original roofing was of stone, above which rises a hexagonal rotunda-type belfry. The building measures approximately 13.0 m in length and 5.5 m in width (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. An exterior view of the church from the northeast. Photo by N. Yeranyan.

Initially, the entrance was on the south side. During the Soviet period, this entrance was blocked, and—following the dismantling of the bema—an entrance was opened through the eastern apse so that the building could be used for economic/utility purposes. Additional structures were attached to the church on both the north and south sides (Fig. 2). The church has three windows on the eastern wall and one window on the southern wall.

In 2016, the church was restored with the benefactor's financial support, Maksim Atayants. As part of the restoration, the attached auxiliary structures were removed; the roof was additionally covered with roof tiles; the rotunda was restored; the eastern entrance was closed; and the original southern entrance was reopened (Figs. 3, 4). A commemorative inscription was carved on the lintel of the doorway during the restoration (Fig. 5).

Fig. 2. A general view of the church from the east, before the restoration. Photo source: the monument repository of the Republic of Artsakh Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports.

Fig. 4. The southern entrance and the bema after the restoration. Photo by N. Yeranyan.

Fig. 3. The southern entrance and the bema after the restoration. Photo by N. Yeranyan.

Fig. 5. The restoration inscription carved on the doorway lintel. Photo by N. Yeranyan.

Condition before, during, and after the war

Following the 2016 restoration and until the Second Artsakh War of 2020, the church was fully standing and intact. No reliable information is currently available regarding the monument’s condition during the war or in the post-war period.

Bibliographic Examination

Because the church is relatively recent, written references are scarce. In Artsakh, Barkhudaryants merely records the church’s existence, without providing further detail.

Bibliography

  1. Barkhudaryants, 1895 - Barkhudaryants, M. Artsakh. Baku.
The Surb Astvatsatsin Church of Karaglukh
The Surb Astvatsatsin Church of Karaglukh
The Surb Astvatsatsin Church of Karaglukh
Artsakh