St. Nshan or Amarayin Church was an Armenian church located in the northwestern part of the Ashagy Aylis village (Ordubad district) of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan.[1][2] It was located next to St. Stepanos (St. Yerordutyun) Church.[3] It was still a standing monument in the 1980s and was destroyed at some point between 1997 and 2000.[1]
| St. Nshan or Amarayin Church | |
|---|---|
Ամառային (Սուրբ Նշան) եկեղեցի | |
 | |
| Location | Aşağı Əylis |
| Country | Azerbaijan |
| Denomination | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| History | |
| Status | Destroyed |
| Founded | 9th Century |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Basilica |
| Demolished | 1997-2000 |
History
editThe church was founded in the 9th century and was rebuilt in the 17th century.[2][4] The church is mentioned in the colophon of a synaxarium with the date 1690.[2][4]
Architectural characteristics
editThe church was attached to the north facade of St. Yerordutyun Church. In its form the church was an open structure where liturgical services were performed in the summer months, that is why it was also called "Amarayin" (i.e. summer in Armenian) church. The basilica consisted of a nave, two aisles, and a seven-sided apse with two four-sided apses on either side. Arcades on the north, south, and west facades created an open architectural form.[2][3][4]
Destruction
editThe church was still a standing monument in the late Soviet period (the 1980s). The church along with the adjacent St. Stepanos Church was already completely erased by 2000, as the investigation of the Caucasus Heritage Watch shows.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ 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. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies. pp. 78–80. 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 Ayvazyan, Argam. Agulis: Patmamshakutayin hushardzanner. Yerevan: Hayastan, 1984, p. 46.
- ^ a b c Ayvazyan, Argam. The Historical Monuments of Nakhichevan. Trasnsl. Krikor H. Maksoudian. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1990, 23.