Mesrop Mashtots Monastery
| Mesrop Mashtots Monastery | |
|---|---|
| St. Gr. Lusavorich Monastery | |
Սուրբ Մեսրոպ Մաշտոց վանք | |
 | |
 | |
| 39°10′6.179″N 45°55′25.061″E / 39.16838306°N 45.92362806°E | |
| Location | Nəsirvaz |
| Country | Azerbaijan |
| Denomination | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| History | |
| Status | Destroyed |
| Founded | 456 |
| Architecture | |
| Demolished | 1997–2006 |
Mesrop Mashtots Monastery or St. Gr. Lusavorich Monastery was an Armenian monastery located in Nəsirvaz village (Ordubad district) of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan.[1] The monastery was located in the western part of the village.[2][3]
History[edit]
The monastery was founded in 456 by Prince Shabit of Goghtn.[2][3] The existing Armenian inscriptions in the walls of the church show that it was renovated in the 15th and 17th centuries as well as the late 19th century.[2][3]
Architecture[edit]
The monastery complex had outer walls, porch, and subsidiary buildings which were longer extant in the late Soviet period.[2][3] The inventor of the Armenian alphabet, Mesrop Mashtots, once lived in the monastery complex. The church of the monastery was a small domed structure consisting of a hall, main apse, and two vestries, with Armenian inscriptions on the interior. Four pillars supported a large cupola with eight windows, adjacent to which was a small bell tower.[2][3]
Destruction[edit]
The church of the monastery complex was still standing in the 1970–1980s. However, it was destroyed by June 15, 2006, as documented by satellite investigation of the Caucasus Heritage Watch.[1]
The monastery complex had also an Armenian cemetery with 300–320 tombstones which was located just north to the monastery. The cemetery was also destroyed by June 15, 2006.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ 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. Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies: Ithaca, NY. pp. 144–147. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Ayvazian, Argam. The Historical Monuments of Nakhichevan. Transl. Krikor H. Maksoudian. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1990, pp. 24–26.
- ^ a b c d e Ayvazyan Argam. Nakhijevani ISSH haykakan hushardzannery. Hamahavak tsutsak. Yerevan: Hayastan, 1986, p. 54.
- ^ 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. 148–149. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2022.