The Lalazar Bridge

The Lalazar Bridge

Location

The monument is located in the Kashatagh region of the Artsakh Republic (Figs. 1, 2). It was occupied by Azerbaijan following the 44-day war.

Fig. 1 The General View of the Bridge, photo by S. Karapetyan, Bridges of Artsakh, Yerevan, 2009, p. 111-112, fig. 152-154.

Fig. 2 The General View of the Bridge, photo by S. Karapetyan, Bridges of Artsakh, Yerevan, 2009, p. 111-112, fig. 152-154.

Historical overview

According to the inscription, the bridge was built in 1867 by Hovakim Lalazaryants, a Khndzoresk villager. His son Simeon later renovated it in 1900-1902.

The inscription says, "The stone bridge built in the 1860s by Hovakim Lalazaryants from Khndsoresk village over the Bargiushat River was eroded and obsolete. But it is now fixed and almost functional. Simeon, son of the late Hovakim Lalazaryants, is the repairer. The bridge was being repaired at his expense for exactly a year and a half. Simeon Lalazaryants himself was keeping a close eye on the renovation. "(Karapetyan 2009, 113).

The dates of the bridge's construction and repair, which are recorded on the constructional inscription, were deliberately scratched and wiped off by Azerbaijanis during the Soviet era (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3 The damaged inscription of the bridge, photo by S. Karapetyan, Bridges of Artsakh, Yerevan, 2009, p. 113, fig. 157.

Architectural-compositional examination

It is a double-span bridge. The lengths of the spans are 13.84 and 12.66 meters, respectively. The passage is 4.31 meters wide (Fig. 4). The monument is made of rough, unpolished stones, yet the border stones are polished.

The condition before, during, and after the war

The monument was completely standing and in use prior to the war. There is no information available regarding the bridge during or after the war.

Fig. 4 The measurements and sections of the bridge, Karapetyan S., Bridges of Artsakh, Yerevan, 2009, p. 135, fig. 38.

Bibliography

  1. Karapetyan 2009 – Karapetyan S., Bridges of Artsakh, Yerevan.
The Lalazar Bridge
The Lalazar Bridge
The Lalazar Bridge
Artsakh