The Surb Gevorg Church of Astghashen

The Surb Gevorg Church of Astghashen

Location

The church is in the center of the village. Since 2023, it has been occupied by Azerbaijan.

Historical overview

The church’s construction date is unknown. It follows the three-nave basilica style common in Artsakh, Syunik, and other Armenian regions in the late medieval period (Figs. 1, 2). Its exterior and details suggest an 18th–19th-century date.

According to the testimony of the people of Astghashen, the most memorable event in the village’s history was the visit of Catholicos Mkrtich I of Van — Khrimyan Hayrik — to the village and to Surb Gevorg Church in 1898. This visit is also recorded in an inscription on a slab embedded to the right of the entrance, which states: “On 24 August 1898, Hayrik came and stayed here until 25 August” (Fig. 3).

After the establishment of Soviet rule, the church was closed in 1925. In 2007, following its reconsecration, it resumed functioning. For details, see: “Surb Gevorg Church in Astghashen, Askeran District of the NKR, Reopened” (Fig. 4).

Fig. 1. The exterior view of the church from the south-west. Photo: www.armenpress.am.

Fig. 2. The exterior view of the church from the north-west. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 3. The inscription concerning the visit of Catholicos Mkrtich I of Van — Khrimyan Hayrik. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 4. The inscription concerning the 2007 restoration of Surb Gevorg Church. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Architectural and compositional description

The three-aisled basilica church is built of local finely dressed and roughly hewn limestone. It has a gable roof covered with tiles, above which rises a four-sided rotunda-bell tower. The church measures 17 m in length and 8 m in width (Barkhudaryants 1895, 159). On the southern side, the church has one entrance and two windows.

Inside, the structure is vaulted and plastered. Traces of modern murals and icons are visible on the sanctuary and walls (Figs. 5, 6). In the church courtyard, there are two early khachkars dating to the 9th–10th centuries (Figs. 7, 8).

Fig. 5. The interior of Surb Gevorg Church. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 7. The khachkars in the courtyard of Surb Gevorg Church. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 6. The interior of Surb Gevorg Church. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 8. The khachkars in the courtyard of Surb Gevorg Church. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

The Condition before, during, and after the war

Before the war, the church was completely standing. Restoration works had been carried out by Armenian-American benefactors, whose names are engraved in the commemorative inscription next to the entrance. The church was reconsecrated in 2007 and was functioning. No information is known about the monument either during the war or after it.

Bibliographic examination

Our information is based on the description by Makar Barkhudaryants and the data presented in the monument certificate prepared by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Artsakh.

Bibliography

  1. Barkhudaryants 1895 - Barkhudaryants M., Artsakh, Baku, Aror.
  2. “Surb Gevorg Church in Astghashen, Askeran District of the NKR, Reopened” - https://armenpress.am/arm/news/441584.html
The Surb Gevorg Church of Astghashen
The Surb Gevorg Church of Astghashen
The Surb Gevorg Church of Astghashen
Artsakh