The “Surben Duz” Rural Settlement of Chapar

The “Surben Duz” Rural Settlement of Chapar

Location

The rural settlement is located in a forested area 1.5 km west of Chapar village, in the Martakert Region of the Republic of Artsakh. Since 2023, it has been annexed by Azerbaijan.

Historical overview

The settlement has not been studied at all. No information about it has been preserved in historical sources. The “Surben Duz” Rural Settlementis mentioned in the list of historical and cultural monuments of Chapar village, Martakert District, Republic of Artsakh, and in the work of V. Balayan (Balayan 2020, 362).

A more detailed discussion of “Surben Duz” was provided by S. Minasyan (Minasyan 2010, 81). In his book, he records several variants of the sanctuary’s name: “Terrace of the Saints,” “Sorpen Dyuz,” and “Surperen Dyuz.” According to Minasyan, before the establishment of Soviet rule in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Feast of the Ascension of Christ was celebrated here in the month of May; sacrificial offerings (matagh) were also made, and “...communal dishes were prepared from the meat of the sacrificed bull and ram” (Minasyan 2010, 81).

Architectural and compositional description

Within the area of the abandoned settlement, dated to the 11th–13th centuries, the remains of dwellings can be traced in the form of depressions bordered by stone alignments. In the center of the settlement, on a hill, the ruins of two adjacent single-nave churches dating to the 12th–13th centuries (Figs. 1, 2) survive, as well as a cemetery (Certificate of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of Artsakh).

Fig. 1. The ruins of the churches. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 2. The ruins of the churches. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

 

 

The cemetery contains more than two dozen khachkar monuments, about half of which bear inscriptions. On one of the khachkars, the date 1214 is clearly legible (Fig. 3). On another, the date 1217 and the name Ptik can be read (Fig. 4). Traces of an inscription are also visible on the narrow southern side. Also noteworthy is the carved figure of a man holding a cup in one hand and a jug in the other.

On a third khachkar (Fig. 5), the following can be read:

“In the year 1272 … I, Imastun, childless, without offspring, laboured greatly at the door of this church …”

Fig. 3. Khachkar, 1214. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 4. Khachkar, 1217. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 5. Khachkar, 1272. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

On the southern side of the same khachkar, the following inscription is preserved:

“Jesus. You who worship … Hovhannes …”

On a fragment of another khachkar, we read (Fig. 6):

“… I, Vasak, … erected this cross …”

The next khachkar inscription is better preserved (Fig. 7):

“I, priest Khurti, erected this cross for myself [and for] my child Sostana. Whoever …”

Unfortunately, part of the inscriptions is weathered and covered with moss, making them difficult to read (Figs. 8-10).

Fig. 6. Vasak’s khachkar. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 7. Khurti’s khachkar. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 8. Inscribed khachkars, 12th–13th centuries. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 9. Inscribed khachkars, 12th–13th centuries. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

Fig. 10. Inscribed khachkars, 12th–13th centuries. Photo by G. Sargsyan.

 

The Condition before and after the war

No information is currently available regarding the monument’s present condition.

Bibliography

  1. Balayan 2020 - Balayan V., Outlines of the History of Artsakh’s Settlements, Yerevan.
  2. Minasyan 2010 - Minasyan S., Chapar: The History of an Artsakh Village, Stepanakert.
  3. Certificate of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Artsakh - Certificate of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Artsakh.
The “Surben Duz” Rural Settlement of Chapar
The “Surben Duz” Rural Settlement of Chapar
The “Surben Duz” Rural Settlement of Chapar
Artsakh