Azerbaijan Razes Historic St. John the Baptist in Shusha

kathpress.at and OCP News Service – 04/05/2024

Original report : https://www.kathpress.at/goto/meldung/2359790/berg-karabach-aserbaidschan-machte-kirche-dem-erdboden-gleich

Yerevan-Armenia: Satellite imagery analysis by the Caucasus Heritage Watch program reveals the destruction of a historic Armenian church in Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory controlled by Azerbaijan.

Dr. Jasmin Dum-Tragut, a Salzburg-based Armenia expert, confirmed the destruction of the Church of St. John the Baptist, also known as the “Green Church,” in the city of Shusha.

“Caucasus Heritage Watch, a satellite monitoring program run by Cornell University, has documented the church being reduced to rubble,” Dr. Dum-Tragut said in a statement to Kathpress. “This is a devastating loss for Armenian cultural heritage.”

The 19th-century church was a prominent landmark in Shusha and sustained damage during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. Following the ceasefire, the Russian Orthodox Church’s Baku diocese reportedly attempted to renovate the church, but those efforts were unsuccessful.

“Now the church is just dust and rubble,” Dr. Dum-Tragut lamented.

The destruction of the Green Church comes amidst ongoing concerns about the fate of Armenian cultural heritage in Azerbaijani-controlled territory. Dr. Dum-Tragut has been vocal in criticizing the international community’s inaction on this issue.

“Over 4,000 Armenian cultural monuments, including 300 churches and monasteries, remain at risk,” she warned.

The recent conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh resulted in hundreds of casualties and the displacement of over 110,000 Armenians. The region’s future remains uncertain, with concerns lingering about the preservation of its cultural heritage.

Source:
OCP News Services and kathpress.at