According to official Azerbaijani propaganda, the only examples of Armenian cultural heritage on Azerbaijani territory are religious structures dating to the 19th and early 20th centuries. This narrative claims that Armenians in Transcaucasia were resettled by the Russian Empire's authorities over the past two centuries and that the Armenian religious structures in the region were constructed by these settlers. As a result, Azerbaijani propaganda asserts that Armenian cultural heritage in Transcaucasia - particularly in the modern Republic of Armenia and the Karabakh region - is the product of these settlers and has been created exclusively within the last 200 years (https://news.day.az/politics/1711203.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1F80Q14pfGeNIkxbE6I-Gz5HyoMoT26eYghJP3etqjYT-9KeSicF7gmkQ_aem_CzrNu9MDE6_siuTSi6JR9A).

As we can see, such statements from official Azerbaijan serve to "appropriate" not only the entire cultural heritage of the Republic of Armenia but also that of Artsakh and other historical Armenian territories. This extends beyond Christian heritage dating back to the fourth century, encompassing even earlier periods.

Azerbaijani propaganda restricts Armenian heritage to churches constructed in the 19th century; a claim grounded in its own fabricated narrative that portrays Armenians as newcomers to the region. This perspective was recently reiterated by the notorious Azerbaijani propagandist Rizvan Huseynov (https://news.day.az/politics/1711203.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1F80Q14pfGeNIkxbE6I-Gz5HyoMoT26eYghJP3etqjYT-9KeSicF7gmkQ_aem_CzrNu9MDE6_siuTSi6JR9A).

According to this propaganda narrative, the Azerbaijani side recognizes as Armenian only those churches constructed in Artsakh during the 19th century, since, from their perspective, Armenians did not reside in Artsakh until that time. This gives rise to a double-edged propaganda predicament: on the one hand, such churches were allegedly built during an “occupation” period, which would seemingly justify their demolition; on the other hand, they cannot be classified as “Albanian Udi” thus leaving them without a suitable propagandistic category. This dilemma raises the question of what Azerbaijani authorities plan to do with these structures. Over the past four years, the Azerbaijani side has circulated propaganda videos showing Armenian churches from the late 19th and early 20th centuries still standing in Baku, Gandzak, and Shamkor. By doing so, they attempt to project an image of “tolerance” and claim to have no issues with Armenian heritage, despite the contradictory narrative they have constructed around the origins and authenticity of that very heritage(For more information on this topic, see Regarding the concept of “tolerance” in Azerbaijan, https://monumentwatch.org/en/alerts/regarding-the-concept-of-tolerance-in-azerbaijan/).

However, this nineteenth-century heritage also poses challenges for Azerbaijan, given that such churches are found in nearly every village of Artsakh. Inscriptions detailing the construction of these monuments commonly reference the village community, the benefactor, and the priest, and there is further documentary evidence and records describing the building of some of these churches. Makar Barkhudaryants, who traveled extensively throughout Artsakh, provided accounts of the Armenian villages, their monuments, and the village churches being constructed, renovated, or rebuilt.

From 2020 onward, we observe that, in certain instances, these churches are once again officially labeled Albanian-Udi. One such example is the Surb Amenaprkich church, built in 1894 in the village of Talish - an attribution that runs counter to the main theses of the existing propaganda (see: https://monumentwatch.org/hy/alerts/%d5%a9%d5%a1%d5%ac%d5%ab%d5%b7-%d5%a3%d5%b5%d5%b8%d6%82%d5%b2%d5%ab-%d5%bd%d5%a2%e2%80%a4-%d5%a1%d5%b4%d5%a5%d5%b6%d5%a1%d6%83%d6%80%d5%af%d5%ab%d5%b9-%d5%a5%d5%af%d5%a5%d5%b2%d5%a5%d6%81%d5%ab%d5%b6/).

In certain instances, the “disappearance” of these nineteenth-century churches can be verified, as they appear to have been deliberately damaged during “infrastructural” works conducted by the Azerbaijani side - evident in cases such as the Surb Sargis church in the village of Mokhrenes (Hadrut region) and the Surb Astvatsatsin church in the village of Madatashen(see: Surb Sargis church of Mokhrenes, https://monumentwatch.org/en/monument/surb-sargis-church-of-mokhrenes/, The enemy destroyed the school, the Cultural center and the memorial in Madatashen village, and endangered the Church of Surb Astvatsatsin, https://monumentwatch.org/en/alerts/the-enemy-destroyed-the-school-the-cultural-center-and-the-memorial-in-madatashen-village-and-endangered-the-church-of-surb-astvatsatsin/).

In some instances, these churches are desecrated and covered with inscriptions, as was the case with the churches in the villages of Karintak and Jraghatsner (see: The Church of Surb Astvatsatsin of Karintak is being vandalized, https://monumentwatch.org/en/alerts/the-church-of-surb-astvatsatsin-of-karintak-is-being-vandalized/, https://monumentwatch.org/hy/alerts/%d5%a1%d5%a4%d6%80%d5%a2%d5%a5%d5%bb%d5%a1%d5%b6%d5%ab-%d5%a6%d5%ab%d5%b6%d5%be%d5%b8%d6%80%d5%a1%d5%af%d5%a1%d5%b6%d5%b6%d5%a5%d6%80%d5%a8-%d5%b4%d5%a1%d5%b0%d5%b4%d5%a5%d5%a4%d5%a1%d5%af%d5%a1%d5%b6/).

We deem it important to note that in the Hadrut region, even though some churches remain standing, entire villages have been deliberately damaged and destroyed, leaving no Armenians in all of Artsakh. In other words, the very communities that built these churches have disappeared, and their settlements continue to face systematic destruction.

The situation is particularly complex in Shushi. The Azerbaijani propaganda apparatus categorically denies the city’s Armenian identity - an attitude made evident in recent years through the destruction of Armenian cemeteries, which had, to some extent, been preserved since the Soviet era. It is clear that the Azerbaijani side has chosen not to acknowledge, but rather to eradicate, the Armenian heritage still present in Shushi, in line with its propagandistic narrative (see: Azerbaijan Engages in the Destruction of Cemeteries in Shushi, https://monumentwatch.org/en/alerts/azerbaijan-engages-in-the-destruction-of-cemeteries-in-shushi/).

In the city of Shushi, the Armenian churches of Surb Hovhannes Mkrtich (Kanach Zham) and Surb Amenaprkich (Ghazanchetsots) were officially declared Russian Orthodox, with efforts then undertaken to “restore” them to their so-called original historical appearance. Thereafter, Kanach Zham “suddenly” disappeared (see: Azerbaijan demolished the Surb Hovhannes Mkrtich (Kanach Zham) Church of Shushi, reducing it to rubble, https://monumentwatch.org/en/alerts/azerbaijan-demolished-the-surb-hovhannes-mkrtich-kanach-zham-church-of-shushi-reducing-it-to-rubble/).

What is most surprising, however, is that ambassadors accredited to Azerbaijan and representatives of religious communities were brought to Shushi to witness the purported “restoration” of Kanach Zham (see: Presentation of the Kanach Zham as Russian Orthodox Church and illegal rites performed there, https://monumentwatch.org/en/alerts/presentation-of-the-kanach-zham-as-russian-orthodox-church-and-illegal-rites-performed-there/).

It is evident that the exterior of the Ghazanchetsots church has already been altered to resemble an Orthodox church: its spire has been removed, its dome has been reshaped into a sphere and painted a light golden color. Historically, the churches in Shushi were rich in Armenian inscriptions, commissioned by the Armenian population of the city’s various districts. A substantial number of archival and official documents about the city, compiled by the provincial authorities of the Russian Empire, attest to these facts.

Thus, it becomes clear that even the mere physical presence of nineteenth-century heritage recognized as Armenian has generated significant concern, and these monuments likewise face the threat of destruction.