The Sibirdara Cemetery and Surb Minas Sanctuary of Chapar

The Sibirdara Cemetery and Surb Minas Sanctuary of Chapar

Location

The Sibirdara Cemetery is located 1.5 km south-west of the rural settlement of Hin Chapar, belonging to the village of Chapar in the Martakert Region of the Republic of Artsakh, on a forested mountainside (Fig. 1). The Surb Minas Sanctuary is situated 1.8 km south-west of the same village, on an elevated forested promontory (Fig. 2). Since 2023, the area has been occupied by Azerbaijan.

Fig. 1. The eastern section of the Sibirdara Cemetery. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 2. The Surb Minas archaeological site. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Historical overview

No precise historical information has been preserved about the Sibirdara Cemetery. The monument has not been studied. The cemetery is mentioned in the list of historical and cultural monuments of the village of Chapar in the Martakert District of the Republic of Artsakh, as well as in the works of Sh. Mkrtchyan, V. Balayan, and S. Minasyan (Mkrtchyan 1988, 46; Balayan 2020, 362; Minasyan 2010, 62).

According to local residents, within the territory of the Sibirdara Cemetery, between the old and new cemeteries, there once stood the Sibilyan Chapel, which has since been lost; only one khachkar remains on the road (Minasyan 2010, 62). S. Minasyan notes that the origin of the name “Sibir” is connected with two circumstances: “1. It derived from a distortion of ‘Sibilyan.’ On a small flat area near the road by the cemetery, there was a small chapel. According to tradition, questions of concern to the people were clarified in that chapel, perhaps similar to, or influenced by, Greek divination. 2. After coming under Russian rule, the word was used metaphorically for this place: it is a cold place like Siberia” (Minasyan 2010, 62).

The Surb Minas Sanctuary is mentioned in the works of Sh. Mkrtchyan and S. Minasyan (Mkrtchyan 1988, 46; Minasyan 2010, 12). According to Sh. Mkrtchyan, “the monument is located near the village of Hin Chapar. It is surrounded by tombstones and khachkars, which testify to the period of its functioning: the 12th–14th centuries” (Mkrtchyan 1988, 46).

According to S. Minasyan, “the sanctuary of Minas the Hermit was one of the important sacred sites located in three different directions from Hakarrakaberd. It was the closest to the old quarter of the village, and the largest number of matagh offerings were made there” (Minasyan 2010, 62–63).

Architectural and compositional description

The Sibirdara Cemetery occupies a rather extensive area, measuring approximately 300 m in length and 100 m in width. It consists of two parts: the lower, eastern section, which is the oldest part of the cemetery and dates to the 12th–17th centuries, and the upper, almost separate section, which is the modern cemetery, dating mainly to the 19th–20th centuries (Fig. 3). In the upper section there are three small and simple khachkars, which were brought here from the historical part of the cemetery (Figs. 4, 5). According to local residents, between the old and new cemeteries there once stood the church known as “Sibili Yeghtsi,” which no longer exists (certificate of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Artsakh).

In the upper part of the cemetery, on the road leading to Hakarrakaberd (https://monumentwatch.org/hy/monument/%D5%B0%D5%A1%D5%AF%D5%A1%D5%BC%D5%A1%D5%AF%D5%A1%D5%A2%D5%A5%D6%80%D5%A4-%D5%A1% D5%B4%D6%80%D5%B8%D6%81%D5%A8), stands the village’s well-known Surb Minas Sanctuary. The sanctuary itself occupies a small area. Particularly noteworthy are four ornamented khachkars characteristic of the 12th–13th centuries.

Fig. 3. The modern Sibirdara Cemetery, 19th–20th centuries. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 4. A khachkar placed in the modern Sibirdara Cemetery. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 5. A khachkar placed in the modern Sibirdara Cemetery. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

The first has a rounded form and is made of limestone. A single cross is carved at the center of the roughly hewn stone (Fig. 6). At the center of the next khachkar is a large cross decorated with vegetal interlace and ram’s-horn ornaments; two smaller crosses are carved in its lower part (Fig. 7).

In the central section of the third khachkar, two large crosses are depicted, decorated with vegetal, ram’s-horn, and other finely executed ornamental motifs. Beneath the cornice of the khachkar, between the two crosses, the inscription “1226” can be seen, probably indicating the date (Fig. 8). On the fourth, simpler khachkar, a single large broad-armed cross is carved (Fig. 9).

Located on the path-road leading to the prominent fortress of Hakarrakaberd, the monument appears to have had a strategic role and significance. This is evidenced by the remains of trenches, structures, and defensive walls preserved on site, which extend along the edge of the promontory for approximately 100 m (certificate of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Artsakh).

Fig. 6. A 12th–13th-century khachkar of the Surb Minas Sanctuary. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 7. A 12th–13th-century khachkar of the Surb Minas Sanctuary. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 8. The dated khachkar of the Surb Minas Sanctuary. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 9. A 12th–13th-century khachkar of the Surb Minas Sanctuary. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

The Condition before and after the war

No information is available about the current condition of the monument.

Bibliography

  1. Mkrtchyan 1989 - Mkrtchyan Sh., Historical and Architectural Monuments of Nagorno-Karabakh, Yerevan.
  2. Minasyan 2010 - Minasyan S., Chapar: The History of an Artsakh Village, Stepanakert.
  3. Balayan 2020 - Balayan V., Historical Outlines of the Settlements of Artsakh, Yerevan.
  4. Certificate of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Artsakh.
The Sibirdara Cemetery and Surb Minas Sanctuary of Chapar
The Sibirdara Cemetery and Surb Minas Sanctuary of Chapar
The Sibirdara Cemetery and Surb Minas Sanctuary of Chapar
Artsakh