St. Khach or Kamu Khach Monastery was a ruinous Armenian monastery located near the village of Shada (Shahbuz District) of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan.[1] The monastery was situated on the slope of a hill, approximately 2-2.5 km south of the village.[1][2]
| St. Khach Monastery | |
|---|---|
| Kamu Khach Monastery | |
Սուրբ Խաչ վանք; Քամու խաչ վանք | |
 | |
| Location | Şada |
| Country | Azerbaijan |
| Denomination | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| History | |
| Status | Destroyed |
| Founded | 11th or 12th century |
| Architecture | |
| Demolished | 1997–2008 |
History edit
The monastery was founded in the 11th or 12th century and underwent renovations in the 15th, 17th and 19th centuries.[2][3]
The monastery was a well-known monastic complex. Only the church of the complex was still extant in the late Soviet period; the refectory, auxiliary buildings, and outer wall were already destroyed.[2][3] The church was a basilica structure with a rectilinear apse, two vestries, and hall. There were Armenian inscriptions on the interior.[2][3]
The remainings of the monastery complex were completely razed at some point between 1997 and August 29, 2008, as documented by Caucasus Heritage Watch.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c Khatchadourian, Lori; Smith, Adam T.; Ghulyan, Husik; Lindsay, Ian (2022). Silent Erasure: A Satellite Investigation of the Destruction of Armenian Heritage in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies: Ithaca, NY. pp. 366–367. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d Ayvazyan, Argam. Nakhijevani ISSH haykakan hushardzannery. Hamahavak tsutsak. Yerevan: Hayastan, 1986, pp. 137–138.
- ^ a b c Ayvazian, Argam. The Historical Monuments of Nakhichevan. Transl. Krikor H. Maksoudian. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1990, pp. 108–109.