Church > St. Yeghisha Church of Mataghis

St. Yeghisha Church of Mataghis

Location

The church is located in the center of Mataghis village (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1 The general view of the church from the south-east, photo from the certificate of the MESCS of the Republic of Artsakh.

Historical overview

According to the inscription engraved on the lintel of the southern entrance, the construction of the church took place in 1892-1898. The inscription says: “The Church of St. Yeghisha was built by the united people of Mataghis. It was started in 1892 and was completed in 1898” (Fig. 2). During the visit of M. Barkhudaryants in 1894-1895, the church was still half-built and unconsecrated (Barkhutaryants 1895, 231).

Fig. 2 The building inscription of the entrance lintel of the church, photo from the certificate of the MESCS of the Republic of Artsakh.

Architectural-compositional description

The church is a three-nave basilica, built of local light brown rough and hewn stones. The dimensions of the monument are 15.07 meters long and 8.16 meters wide (Figs. 3-4). It is completely plastered inwardly. The semi-circular bema is high, has two vestries, it is vaulted, the roof is covered with earth (Fig. 5).

The entrance is from the south, three windows open from the east, two from the south and one from the west.

Figs. 3 The general view of the church from the outside, photo from the certificate of the MESCS of the Republic of Artsakh.

Figs. 5 The general view of the church from the inside, photo from the certificate of the MESCS of the Republic of Artsakh.

Figs. 4 The general view of the church from the outside, photo from the certificate of the MESCS of the Republic of Artsakh.

The condition before, during and after the war

Before the war the church was completely standing. Hot battles took place in the village of Mataghis during the Second Artsakh War and it is not known to what extent the monument was damaged. After the war, a video was spread by Azeris on social media, where it was visible how several men in military uniforms enter the church and break the icons. The video also shows that various broken objects are scattered on the floor (Մշակութային վանդալիզմ Մատաղիսի Սուրբ Եղիշա եկեղեցում - Monument Watch).

 

 

Bibliographic examination

The church was relatively newly built, due to which the primary sources are scarce. Our description is based on the evidence provided by Makar Barkhutaryants and the data on the monument certificate issued by the MESCS of the Republic of Artsakh.

Bibliography

  1. Barkhutaryants 1895 – Barkhutaryants M., Artsakh, Baku, Aror.
St. Yeghisha Church of Mataghis
St. Yeghisha Church of Mataghis
St. Yeghisha Church of Mataghis
Artsakh