Verelq: Mets Shen Surb Astvastatsin Church is facing the danger of destruction

The Armenian church of Mets Shen village of Shushi region of Artsakh is facing the danger of destruction. Artsakh cultural heritage ombudsman, vice-president of “Azkayin” historical and cultural NGO Hovik Avanesov warned about this on his Facebook page.

According to Avanesov, the observations carried out by means of the “Planet” satellite system document that large-scale construction and earthworks have begun in the vicinity of the Saint Astvatsatsin Church. According to him, these actions were carried out by the Azerbaijani side in the period from the end of October 2025 to the middle of May 2026.

Avanesov emphasized that this poses a serious threat to the physical preservation of the historical monument and may lead to its irreversible loss.

“The Armenian Christian monuments of Artsakh are the most important part of our identity and history, and in recent years, there have been many cases of erasing or changing the shape of the Armenian traces in the territories that came under the control of Azerbaijan,” he said.

In this context, Avanesov emphasized that what is happening in the Great Building cannot be considered a normal economic activity.

“It is highly condemnable that there are continuing actions that endanger the native Armenian cultural heritage of Artsakh, ignoring the fundamental principles of international law on the protection of cultural values, including the obligations established by the UNESCO and Hague 1954 Conventions on the Protection of Cultural Values ​​in the Event of Armed Conflict,” continued Avanesov.

He called on international professional structures, scientists and human rights defenders to intervene immediately and start independent inspections on the spot.

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