On 26 April 2026, a video published on the Facebook page “Xocavənd Rayon İcra Hakimiyyəti” documented the breaking of the cross on the dome of Surb Nerses the Great Church in the city of Monteaberd/Martuni, Artsakh (https://www.facebook.com/reel/2545407835874082). This information was also confirmed by Hovik Avanesov, who monitors Artsakh’s cultural heritage. It should be noted that, within the framework of the “Monitoring the Cultural Heritage of Artsakh” project, information had already been presented on 30 October 2025 regarding recurring damage to the church, particularly the breaking of windows and traces of gunfire on the structure: https://monumentwatch.org/…/%d5%b4%d5%a1%d6%80%d5%bf…/։

The church is located in the north-western part of the intersection of Azatamartikner and Leonard Petrosyan streets in the city of Martuni. The structure has a cruciform composition: a dome with a square base and a pyramidal roof rises on four columns, and the cross was placed at its summit.

Our response

The 1954 Hague Convention, which also serves as the basis for other international treaties, defines cultural property in its first article as movable or immovable heritage “of great importance to the cultural heritage of every people,” regardless of its origin or ownership: Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict with Regulations for the Execution of the Convention. The Hague, 14 May 1954, Chapter I. General Provisions Regarding Protection, Article 1 – Definition of Cultural Property.

Moreover, the evident distortion of the monument also violates the 7 December 2021 Order of the International Court of Justice, according to which “Azerbaijan shall take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage…” (International Court of Justice, Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination [Armenia v. Azerbaijan], 7 December 2021, No. 2021/34). It should also be added that damage inflicted on the cultural property of any people constitutes a blow to the cultural heritage of all humanity, since every people contributes to the world’s cultural diversity.

The removal and deliberate damage of the cross on the dome of Martuni’s Surb Nerses the Great Church is a gross manifestation of the violation of the structure’s integrity. According to the definition adopted at UNESCO’s 36th expert meeting, integrity is the capacity of heritage to secure and sustain its significance and importance over time: https://whc.unesco.org/archive/opguide11-en.pdf.

According to paragraph 88 of the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, integrity is a measure of the wholeness and intactness of the natural and/or cultural heritage and its attributes. This means that a monument must include all the elements necessary to express and preserve its outstanding universal value: https://whc.unesco.org/archive/opguide11-en.pdf.

Paragraph 89 of the same Guidelines clarifies that, in the case of cultural heritage, the physical fabric of the property must be well preserved and unchanged. In the present case, the cross is a key component completing the symbolic and architectural integrity of the sacred structure; its removal or absence distorts the monument’s cultural and religious significance.

In addition, paragraph 82 of the Guidelines establishes that the preservation of heritage is considered complete only when it meets the requirements of both authenticity and integrity. The actions carried out against Surb Nerses the Great Church, which result in the alteration of its historically formed appearance, directly contradict international conservation principles and lead to the destruction of the historical environment and spiritual values.