Church > St. Astvatsatsin Church of Mirik

St. Astvatsatsin Church of Mirik

Location

The church is located in Mirik village of Kashatagh region (Lachin region) of the Artsakh Republic. The village is located near the Mirik River, which adjoins the Aghavnaget River from the right side, at an altitude of 1440-1520 meters above sea level (Karapetyan 2001, 131).

 

Historical overview

The historical data about the village is rather scarce. The village was usually referred to as Merik, and in Soviet times it was referred to as Mirik (Karapetyan 2001, 131).

Architectural-compositional description

St. Astvatsatsin Church is located on the northern edge of the village, on the rock mass that dominates the village with its position (Fig. 1). According to the building inscription, it was built in 1682. By its plan, it is a three-nave basilica (Fig. 2).

Fig. 1 The general view of the church, photo by A. Nalbandyan.

The walls of the church are lined with rough stone, and the cruciform columns and cornerstones are polished. There are gravestones dated different periods, fragments of khachkars as well as carved stones embedded in the walls (Figs. 3-9).

Fig. 4 Stones embedded in the wall of the church, photo by A. Nalbandyan.

Fig. 6 Stones embedded in the wall of the church, photo by A. Nalbandyan.

Fig. 8 Stones embedded in the wall of the church, photo by A. Nalbandyan.

Fig. 10 The main entrance of the church, photo by A. Nalbandyan.

Fig. 11 The building inscription of the entrance lintel of the church, photo by A. Nalbandyan.

Fig. 2 The plan of the church, S. Karapetyan, Armenian cultural monuments in the region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 132.

Fig. 3 Stones embedded in the wall of the church, photo by A. Nalbandyan.

Fig. 5 Stones embedded in the wall of the church, photo by A. Nalbandyan.

Fig. 7 Stones embedded in the wall of the church, photo by A. Nalbandyan.

Fig. 9 Stones embedded in the wall of the church, photo by A. Nalbandyan.

They are both holistic and fragmented. The only entrance to the church is on the southern side, it is quite luxurious (Fig. 10). The building inscription of the church is on the entrance lintel (Fig. 11), it is slightly damaged: “I – paron (mister) Hakhnazar, built this St. Astvatsatsin Church in the memory of me and my parents: remember my father paron Sargis and my brother Haykaz in Christ. I – elder Najargul, gave 5 tumans to the church superintendent in the memory of me and my parents. We – the people of Mirik, gave 5 tumans to the holy church in the memory of us and our parents. In the year of 1130 (1682)” (Karapetyan 2001, 131).

It is inscribed on the gravestone fastened into the entrance of the church (Fig. 12): “This is the rest of Hakhnazar, in the year of 1654” (Karapetyan 1999, 135).

Fig. 12 The inscription on the threshold of the church, photo by A. Nalbandyan.

There is also an inscription inside the church, a little higher than the lintel of the northern vestry: “I – Emin, erected this cross for Hurum and my father Astvatsatur…” (Karapetyan 2001, 131).

The church is vaulted, inwardly plastered, the cruciform font of the church is preserved (Figs. 13-14).

The condition before and after the war

The church served as a village club during the Soviet era. It did not suffer during the Artsakh wars. After the Azeri takeover of Kashatagh region in December 2020, the church was still standing, the inscription of the entrance lintel was also in situ. The Azerbaijani side presents it as an Albanian church.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fig. 13 The interior of the church, photo by A. Nalbandyan.

Fig. 14 The baptismal font of the church, photo by A. Nalbandyan.

Bibliography

    1. Karapetyan S., Armenian cultural monuments in the region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001.
    2. Lacin Rayonu Mirik kendi. Alban Kilsesi. 2 ardi var... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryxhUxH-cB0&t=9s.
St. Astvatsatsin Church of Mirik
St. Astvatsatsin Church of Mirik
St. Astvatsatsin Church of Mirik
Artsakh