The Church of Surb Astvatsatsin in Mkhitarashen

The Church of Surb Astvatsatsin in Mkhitarashen

Location

The church ruins stand on a small terrace at the eastern edge of the village, beneath cliff faces that overlook a gorge (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Location of the church ruins. Photo from the certificate from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of Artsakh.

Historical overview

The village of Mkhitarashen was formerly known as Arkatalu, Erkʿtʿali, and Arkatalu Shēn (Balayan 2020, 112). Information about the village church is scarce. Makar Barkhudaryants mentions the church in his work Artsakh, but provides no further details (Barkhutareants 1895, 133).

Architectural-compositional examination

The church survives in a ruined state; only the foundation walls are preserved, reaching approximately 1 meter in height. These foundations are built of medium-sized, split stones set in lime mortar. In plan, the church is a rectangle with a semicircular apse on the eastern side (Figs. 2–3). A cemetery dating from the 19th to 20th centuries extends around the church (Fig. 4). According to the certificate issued by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of Artsakh, the ruins of the church are dated to the 17th to 18th centuries.

Fig. 2. The church ruins. Photo from the certificate from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of Artsakh.

Fig. 3. The church ruins. Photo from the certificate from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of Artsakh.

Fig. 4. Cemetery adjacent to the church ruins. Photo from the certificate from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of Artsakh.

The Condition Before and After the War

The church is in ruins; no information has been found regarding the date or circumstances of its destruction.

Bibliography

  1. Barkhudaryants, M., Artsakh. Baku, 1895.
  2. Balayan, V., Settlements of the Republic of Artsakh. Yerevan, 2020.
The Church of Surb Astvatsatsin in Mkhitarashen
The Church of Surb Astvatsatsin in Mkhitarashen
The Church of Surb Astvatsatsin in Mkhitarashen
Artsakh