St. Gevorg Church (Nakhchivan)
Saint Gevorg Church, a ruined Armenian apostolic church in Nakhchivan, the capital of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan.[1][2]
| St. Gevorg Church | |
|---|---|
Սուրբ Գեվորգ Եկեղեցի | |
 | |
 | |
| Location | Nakhchivan (city) |
| Denomination | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| History | |
| Status | destroyed |
| Founded | 1869 |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Basilica |
| Years built | 1869-1872 |
| Demolished | 1997-2005 |
History[edit]
The church was built in 1869 on the foundations of a previously existing church that existed on the site. The construction was completed in 1872.[1][2][3]
In Soviet times, it was still a standing monument.[1][2] The church was completely destroyed at some point between 1997 and 2005.[4][3]
Architectural characteristics[edit]
The church had a quadripartite domed basilica design. It was made up of a rectangular plan of the main shrine, a pair of storage rooms and a hall. The dome, lined with bricks, was located in the center of the cross-like roof of the building, on four gables.[1][3]
It had three entrances, which were located on the western, northern and southern facades.[1][3]
The outer walls were lined with red tuff brought from the quarry of Karmir Vank valley in Astapat village.[1]
The church looked quite interesting from the outside, but modestly decorated. The ornamental sculptures were only on the arches of the entrances and windows.[1]
On the two windows on the west side, in a frame, the compositional iconography of St. Sargis was carved. St. Sargis was depicted riding a horse and killing a snake-dragon with a cross-shaped spear under the horse's feet. A praying man was also depicted in front of the horse. A halo was depicted on the head of St. Sargis.[1][3]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Այվազյան, Արգամ, «Նախիջևանի կոթողային հուշարձաններն ու պատկերաքանդակներն», Երևան, 1987 թվական, էջ 86։
- ^ a b c Սամվել Կարապետյան, Նախիջևան քարտեզագիրք, Երևան, 2012, էջ 25
- ^ a b c d e Ayvazian, Argam. The Historical Monuments of Nakhchivan. Transl. Krikor H. Maksoudian. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1990, p. 92.
- ^ Khatchadourian Lori, Smith Adam, Ghulyan Husik, Lindsay Ian (2022)։ Silent Erasure: A Satellite Investigation of the Destruction of Armenian Cultural Heritage in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan։ Ithaca NY: Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies։ pp. 322–325