Church > “Hangats Yeghtsi” church of the Arevshat village

“Hangats Yeghtsi” church of the Arevshat village

Location

Hangats Yeghtsi is approximately 2 kilometers west of Arevshat village in the Hadrut region (Figs. 1, 2).

Fig. 1 The church from the east, 2019, photo by G. Budaghyan.

Fig. 2 The church from the northwest, 2019, photo by G. Budaghyan.

Historical overview

Arevshat village is located 62 kilometers south of Hadrut city. It was previously known as Dolanlar. The village was completely evacuated of Armenians in May 1991 and then set on fire as a result of Operation Ring. It was liberated in 1993 and was renamed Arevshat after its liberation.

The village has been occupied by Azerbaijan since November 2020.

Architectural-compositional examination

It is a vaulted single-nave hall with a semicircular tabernacle on the eastern side (Fig. 3). The bema has been destroyed. It's made of local rough stones and lime mortar. The only entrance is from the west (Fig. 4), where a horizontal khachkar from the 9th-10th centuries was reused as a lintel. Two small windows in the eastern and western walls provided light to the structure. Several khachkars with simple compositions can be found inside the church, on the northern wall, and the upper part of the tabernacle (Fig. 5). On the western front, a zone similar to khachkars has been established. They not only embellished the rough and monotonous surfaces of the walls, but they also formed horizontal zones that supported the structure. Two of the western facade's khachkars bear inscriptions.

One of those inscriptions says, "May God have mercy on us and our heirs and be content with them" (Fig․ 6). The inscription on the next khachkar also includes the date “Remember God and Jesus Christ, the year 1319" (Fig. 7).

The old cemetery is located near the church, and the tombstones are mostly buried.

Fig. 3 The interior of the church, 2019, photo by G. Budaghyan.

Fig. 6 One of the lithographs of the church, 2019, photo by G. Budaghyan.

The condition before, during, and after the war

The church was partially destroyed, and the vault had been fully destroyed (Fig. 8). There is no information available about the current situation or the situation during the military operations in 2020.

Fig. 4 The entrance of the church, 2019, photo by G. Budaghyan.

Fig. 5 The khachkars inside the church, 2019, photo by G. Budaghyan.

Fig. 7 The date bearing inscription, 2019, photo by G. Budaghyan.

Fig. 8 The collapsed vault of the church, 2019, photo by G. Budaghyan.

“Hangats Yeghtsi” church of the Arevshat village
“Hangats Yeghtsi” church of the Arevshat village
“Hangats Yeghtsi” church of the Arevshat village
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