Historical overview
Makar Barkhudaryants provides information about Dashushen village in his work "Artsakh" (Barkhutareants 1895, 131). The author describes the village's location, amenities, and climate, highlighting that the village’s 40 local households are indigenous. He mentions the Surb Srabek pilgrimage site and observes that it attracts numerous pilgrims, primarily from Shushi. Barkhudaryants also makes note of the ruins of the Nerkin Shen and Soghomon Shen settlements, explaining that their residents relocated to Shushi in 1860 (Barkhudaryants 1895, 131). Information about Dashushen (Karashen) can also be gleaned from inscriptions that are still preserved on the church, springs, and tombstones in the area.
Barkhudaryants also makes a mention of Surb Astvatsatsin Church, noting that the church had one priest. During the Soviet period, Surb Astvatsatsin Church served as a house of culture and later as a warehouse. A two-story adjacent building was constructed on the western side. In the years of independence, the church's original purpose was reinstated, and it underwent restoration thanks to the contributions of benefactors.
Architectural-compositional examination
The Surb Astvatsatsin Church is situated in the village and has dimensions of 8 meters in width and 11 meters in length (1843, fig. 1). It is a single-nave hall with sacristies on both sides of the high altar. The baptismal font is located on the northern wall (Fig. 2). Constructed using local rough limestone, the entrance is situated on the southern side. The interior is vaulted, with the roof being supported by the structure's walls, the tabernacle arch, and the vaulted arch. Polished stones are used in the construction of the corner sections of the building, the entrance lintels, the tabernacle arch, and the arch that supports the vault (Fig. 3). The arches are designed in a stylized manner (Fig. 4). The structure originally had a tiled roof, which was later replaced with tin sheets during the Soviet period. As part of the restoration efforts, a four-column bell tower was added to the central portion of the roof of the building.
