St. Stepanos Church was an Armenian church located in the northeastern district of the Kələki village (Ordubad district) of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan.[1] The church was still standing in the early 2000s.[1]
| St. Stepanos Church | |
|---|---|
| Church of Kaghakik | |
Քաղաքիկի եկեղեցի | |
 | |
| Location | Kələki |
| Country | Azerbaijan |
| Denomination | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| History | |
| Founded | 1441 |
| Architecture | |
| Demolished | 2000–2009 |
History edit
According to an Armenian inscription on a cross-stone (khachkar) above the lintel of the portal, the church was either founded or renovated in 1441 by Agha Shain.[2][3] It was also renovated in the 17th and 19th centuries. The church is also mentioned in the 17th century Armenian inscription of St. Tovma Monastery of Agulis.[2][3]
Architectural characteristics edit
St. Stepanos had a single-chamber nave, eastern apse with two vestries on either side, an entrance in the western facade, and a porch in the west.[2][3] Historian Argam Ayvazyan recorded traces of wall painting on the plastered walls of the interior, as well as Armenian inscriptions on the western facade.[2][3]
Destruction edit
The church was a well-preserved and still standing monument in the late Soviet period (1980s) and in the early 2000s.[1] However, the church was erased between 2000 and August 13, 2009, as documented by satellite forensic investigation of the Caucasus Heritage Watch.[1]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d 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. 96–99. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d Ayvazyan, Argam. Nakhijevani ISSH haykakan hushardzannery. Hamahavak tsutsak. Yerevan: Hayastan, 1986, p. 32.
- ^ a b c d Ayvazyan, Argam. The Historical Monuments of Nakhichevan. Trasnsl. Krikor H. Maksoudian. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1990, pp. 49–50.