Church > The Surb Hovhannes Church of Lusadzor (Mehtishen)

The Surb Hovhannes Church of Lusadzor (Mehtishen)

Location

The church is situated in the heart of Lusadzor village, within the Askeran region of the Republic of Artsakh (Fig. 1). The village has been occupied by the Azerbaijani army.

Fig. 1 The general view of the church, image is taken from the informative database of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Artsakh.

Historical overview

Makar Barkhudaryants offers some insight into the village and its church: "...the Church of Surb Hovhannes, constructed of stone and lime, with the priest coming from the village of Pallucha" (Barkhutareants, 1895, 156). Unfortunately, this mention by Barkhudaryants is the sole piece of information available about the church. It is presumed that the village church was likely built towards the end of the 19th century. Documentation from the Artsakh Diocese of 1901 also refers to the church (Balayan, 2020, 66-67).

In the informative database of the Republic of Artsakh, the church is listed as Surb Astvatsatsin. It's important to note that there is no other church present in the village. Additionally, the village church is also documented as Surb Hovhannes on the Artsakh Diocese website. (https://artsakhdiocese.am/churches/gortsox/gortsogh-vanqer-yekeghetsiner/askerani-shrjan).

Architectural-compositional examination

The Surb Hovhannes Church is a single-nave vaulted hall (Fig. 2). Constructed with rough-polished medium and small-sized limestone, the window frames and cornerstones of the walls are crafted from polished stone, with a porch opening on the southern façade (Fig. 3). The nave is supported by walls and pointed lancet arches rising from the pillars. Six wide windows provide illumination on all facades. The semi-circular apse features two sacristies, and the baptismal font is situated on the northern wall. (http://monuments.nk.am/pages.php?al=home&id=695&act1=more&act=filter&mtype=12&searchword=%D4%BC%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%BD%D5%A1%D5%B1%D5%B8%D6%80).

Fig. 2 The interior view of the church, image is taken from the informative database of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Artsakh.

Fig. 3 The main entrance to the church, image is taken from the informative database of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Artsakh.

Fig. 4 The annex building and the main facade of the church, image is taken from the informative database of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Artsakh.

The condition before and after the war

The church remained undamaged during the Artsakh wars. Throughout the Soviet era, it served various purposes, initially as a village club and later as a warehouse. An annex was added to the west side during this period (Fig. 4). In 2019, the church underwent renovation by Levon and Albert Sargsyans from Lusadzor, as indicated by the sign posted on the south facade of the church (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_Q5uzh7L6c).

Bibliography

  1. Barkhutareants 1895 - Barkhutareants M., Artsakh, Baku.
  2. Balayan 2020 - Balayan V., Outlines of the History of Settlements of the Republic of Artsakh, Yerevan.
  4. The bells of the Surb Hovhannes church in the Lusadzor community of the Askeran region rang once again, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_Q5uzh7L6c.
  5. The Askeran region, https://artsakhdiocese.am/churches/gortsox/gortsogh-vanqer-yekeghetsiner/askerani-shrjan).
The Surb Hovhannes Church of Lusadzor (Mehtishen)
The Surb Hovhannes Church of Lusadzor (Mehtishen)
The Surb Hovhannes Church of Lusadzor (Mehtishen)
Artsakh