The Getin Gomer Chapel of Tonashen

Location

The chapel is located within the administrative boundaries of the village of Tonashen in the occupied Martakert Region of Artsakh, in the area known as Getin Gomer, on a small hill. It occupies a dominant position over the surrounding landscape (Figs. 1, 2).

Historical overview

No historical information has been preserved about the chapel. In the Getin Gomer area, there is only a reference to a bridge built over the Tartar River in 1902 (Balayan 2020, 396; Karapetyan 2009, 129). The name of the chapel is also unknown.

Architectural and compositional description

The chapel is a single-nave hall with an eastern semicircular apse. It is built of small and medium-sized roughly hewn stones bonded with lime mortar. The chapel is semi-ruined; however, judging from the appearance of the walls, it was vaulted and covered with a gable roof. Inside, traces of plaster have been preserved in places. The chapel had a western entrance, the jamb stones of which have not survived. Small wall niches are preserved in the interior (Figs. 3-6). According to the certificate of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Artsakh, khachkars are also embedded in the walls.

Based on the compositional features of the chapel, it may be assumed that it was built in the 12th–13th centuries.

The Condition before and after the war

The church has survived in a semi-ruined condition. It was not damaged during the Artsakh wars. After the complete occupation of Artsakh in 2023, no information has been available about the fate of the church.

Bibliography

1. Balayan 2020 - Balayan V., Historical Outlines of the Settlements of the Republic of Artsakh, Yerevan, 2020.
2. Karapetyan 2009 - Karapetyan S., The Bridges of Artsakh, Yerevan, 2009.
3. The Getin Gomer Chapel, certificate of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Artsakh.