Church > The Surb Astvatsatsin Church of Msmna

The Surb Astvatsatsin Church of Msmna

Location
Surb Astvatsatsin Church is located in the center of Msmna village in Artsakh's Martuni region (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1 The general view of the church from the south, photo by A. Grigoryan, 2022.

Historical overview
Surb Astvatsatsin Church was constructed in 1881. Makar Barkhudaryants provides information about the church, also stating that "The church is Surb Astvatsatsin, made of stone on two arches. The priest comes from the village of Ghavakhan (Kavahan) (Barkhutareants
1895, 108). Although the church was built at the end of the nineteenth century, khachkars and decorative fragments on the walls attest that there was a sanctuary here at least since the 12th-13th centuries (Figs. 2, 3).

Fig. 2 A fragment of khachkar on the wall of the northern sacristy, photo by A. Grigoryan, 2022.

Fig. 3 A fragment of khachkar on the wall of the southern sacristy, photo by A. Grigoryan, 2022.

Architectural-compositional examination

It is a single-nave vaulted hall with a rectangular architectural plan, built with local limestone and lime mortar (Fig. 4). Wall arches rising from the northern and southern pairs of pilasters support the vault. From the outside, it is crowned with a gable roof. Only the corner and arch stones are polished. The sacristies are located next to the church's semicircular tabernacle. During the Soviet era, the church was utilized as a warehouse, so the floor was raised, and the sacristies' doors were closed (Fig. 5). The baptismal font has been preserved in the niche of the church's northern wall, next to the sacristy (Fig. 6).
The only entrance is from the south, which runs from the center to the west corner of the room. Three windows on the eastern facade and one each on the southern and western facades provided lighting (Figs. 7, 8). The southern window was not preserved as it was demolished and enlarged during the Soviet era. The date of construction is preserved on the church's southern facade, near the entrance, indicating that the church was built in 1881. (Fig. 9).

Fig. 4 The interior of the church viewed from the southwest, photo by A. Grigoryan, 2022.

Fig. 7 The demolished and enlarged south window, photo by A. Grigoryan, 2022.

Fig. 5 The eastern facade of the church, photo by A. Grigoryan, 2022.

Fig. 8 The baptismal font, photo by A. Grigoryan, 2022.

Fig. 6 The Western Wall from the Inside, photo by A. Grigoryan, 2022.

Fig. 9 The lintel on the entrance, photo by A. Grigoryan, 2022.

The condition before, during, and after the war

The church is out of use and the roof tiles have not been maintained. The church's roof was covered with asbestos sheets during the Soviet era, and it is now in a damaged and dilapidated state. The trees and vegetation have grown on the roof. The church remained undamaged before or during the 2020 war.

Bibliography

1. Barkhutareants 1895 - Barkhutareants M., Artsakh, Baku.

The Surb Astvatsatsin Church of Msmna
The Surb Astvatsatsin Church of Msmna
The Surb Astvatsatsin Church of Msmna
Artsakh