Ghazanchetsots Cathedral

Ghazanchetsots Cathedral
The cathedral in 2018, two years prior the damage in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
Religion
AffiliationArmenian Apostolic Church
RiteArmenian
Year consecrated20 September 1888
18 June 1998 (reconsecration)
StatusDamaged, conversion work ongoing according to the Azerbaijani government
Location
Location19 A. Ghazanchetsots Street,[1] Shusha,[2] Azerbaijan
Ghazanchetsots Cathedral is located in Azerbaijan
Ghazanchetsots Cathedral
Shown within Azerbaijan
Ghazanchetsots Cathedral is located in Karabakh Economic Region
Ghazanchetsots Cathedral
Ghazanchetsots Cathedral (Karabakh Economic Region)
Geographic coordinates39°45′32″N 46°44′52″E / 39.758819°N 46.747883°E / 39.758819; 46.747883
Architecture
Architect(s)Simon Ter-Hakobian(ts)
StyleArmenian
Groundbreaking1868
Completed1887
Specifications
Length34.7 metres (114 ft)
Width23 metres (75 ft)
Height (max)35 metres (115 ft)

Holy Savior Cathedral (Armenian: Սուրբ Ամենափրկիչ մայր տաճար, Surb Amenap′rkich mayr tachar), commonly referred to as Ghazanchetsots (Armenian: Ղազանչեցոց),[a] is an Armenian Apostolic cathedral in Shusha in Azerbaijan. It is the cathedra of the Diocese of Artsakh of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Standing 35 metres (115 ft) high, Ghazanchetsots is one of the largest Armenian churches in the world. A landmark of Shusha and the Karabakh region,[4] and of Armenian cultural and religious identity,[5] it was listed as a cultural and historical monument of the former breakaway Republic of Artsakh.

Built between 1868 and 1887, the cathedral was consecrated in 1888. It was damaged during the March 1920 massacre of the city's Armenians—and the destruction of their half of the city—by Azerbaijanis and experienced a decades-long decline well into the Soviet period. During the first Nagorno-Karabakh War Azerbaijan used the cathedral as an armoury to store hundreds of missiles. The cathedral was extensively restored in the aftermath of the first war and reconsecrated in 1998. During the 2020 war, it was damaged by Azerbaijani attacks.

In Azerbaijan, the cathedral is called "Gazanchy" (Azerbaijani: Qazançı) and the authorities have often denied its Armenian heritage, instead vaguely referring to it as "Christian"[6][7] or falsely labeling it a "Russian Orthodox" edifice.[8][9] Azerbaijan's announcement of a "renovation", which so far has included the removal of its conical roof, has been met with criticism and concern by different bodies.[10]

  1. ^ a b "Dünya əhəmiyyətli daşınmaz tarix və mədəniyyət abidələrinin Siyahısı (Memarlıq abidələri)" (PDF). mct.gov.az (in Azerbaijani). Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  2. ^ "Dioceses". armenianchurch.org. Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  3. ^ de Waal, Thomas (2008). Qarabağ: Ermənistan və Azərbaycan sülh və savaş yollarında (Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War) (in Azerbaijani). Yusif Axundov (translator). Baku: “İlay” MMC. pp. 210, 216. ISBN 978-9952-25-086-2. p. 208: ...Qazançetsots kilsəsində... p. 216: ...Kazançetsots kilsəsi...
  4. ^ "Azerbaijan strikes Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi, a Karabakh landmark". PanARMENIAN.Net. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  5. ^ McGreevy, Nora. "Why Scholars, Cultural Institutions Are Calling to Protect Armenian Heritage". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  6. ^ "The restoration of the Gazanchy Church in Shusha demonstrates the care of the Azerbaijani state for not only its own cultural heritage, but also for the Christian heritage as a whole - News | Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan". Azərbaycan Respublikası Mədəniyyət Nazirliyi. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Mədəniyyət naziri: "Şuşadakı Qazançı kilsəsi də bərpa ediləcək"". Apa.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Russian Orthodox Gazanchi Church in Shusha". Caliber English. 7 April 2023. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023.
  9. ^ Mustafayev, Rahman (7 April 2023). "Retweeted Caliber English: Russian Orthodox Gazanchi Church in Shusha". Twitter. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference persecution2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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