St. Astvatsatsin Monastery (Shurud)

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St. Astvatsatsin Monastery or Kusakan Monastery was an Armenian monastery located in the village of Shurud (Julfa District) of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan.[1] The monastery was located approximately 1 km north of the village.[1][2][3]

St. Astvatsatsin Monastery
Kusakan Monastery
Սուրբ Աստվածածին անապատ
LocationŞurud
CountryAzerbaijan
DenominationArmenian Apostolic Church
History
StatusDestroyed
Architecture
Demolished1997–2006

History[edit]

The founding date of the monastery is unknown. It was rebuilt in 1631.[2][3]

Architecture[edit]

The monastery was a single-chamber nave structure. There were wall paintings adorning the building as well as there were 17th-century carved cross-stones (khachkars) decorating the front of the bema. There were Armenian inscriptions on the interior.[2][3]

Destruction[edit]

The monastery was damaged but still standing in the late Soviet period, however it was razed to ground at some point between 1997 and June 15, 2006, as documented by investigation of the Caucasus Heritage Watch.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ 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. 254–257. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Ayvazyan, Argam. The Historical Monuments of Nakhichevan. Transl. Krikor H. Maksoudian. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1990, pp. 81–82.
  3. ^ a b c Ayvazyan, Argam. Nakhijevani ISSH haykakan hushardzannery. Hamahavak tsutsak. Yerevan: Hayastan, 1986, p. 91.