St. Hovhannes-Mkrtich Church was an Armenian Apostolic Church located in the lower district of Yukhari Aylis village of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan.[1] It was located approximately 400-500m southwest of St. Shmavon Church of the same village.[1]
| St. Hovhannes-Mkrtich Church | |
|---|---|
Սուրբ Հովհաննես Մկրտիչ եկեղեցի | |
 | |
| Location | Yukhari Aylis |
| Country | Azerbaijan |
| Denomination | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| Architecture | |
| Demolished | 1997–2000 |
History
editThe church was renovated in 1663, according to literary sources and an Armenian inscription on the base of the cupola of the church.[2] The church was in a partially ruined condition in the late Soviet period.[3]
Architectural characteristics
editIt had a polygonal apse and two-storied vestries on either side, an eight-windowed dome rested atop four octagonal pillars.[1][2] There were Armenian inscriptions on the perimeter of the dome.[1][2] The frescoes on the church, added in 1686, were largely decayed.[1][2] Some 150 tombstones existed along the northern and eastern sides of the church, within the perimeter wall. Since the 1940s, the tombstones were gradually disturbed and broken.[1]
Destruction
editThe church was still a standing monument in the 1980s, however it has been already destroyed by February 2000, according to the Caucasus Heritage Watch.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f Ayvazyan, Argam. Nakhijevani ISSH haykakan hushardzannery. Hamahavak tsutsak. Yerevan: Hayastan, 1986, p. 28.
- ^ a b c d Ayvazyan, Argam. The Historical Monuments of Nakhichevan. Transl. Krikor H. Maksoudian. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1990, p. 20.
- ^ a b Khatchadourian, Lori; Smith, Adam T.; Ghulyan, Husik; Lindsay, Ian (2022). Silent Erasure: A Satellite Investigation of the Destruction of Armenian Heritage in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies. pp. 56–58. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2022.