St. Tovma Monastery (Chalkhangala)
St. Tovma Monastery was a ruinous Armenian monastery located in the village of Chalkhangala (Kangarli District) of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan.[1] The monastery was located on high ground in the northeastern part of the village.[1][2]
| St. Tovma Monastery | |
|---|---|
Սբ. Թովմա վանք | |
| Location | Çalxanqala |
| Country | Azerbaijan |
| Denomination | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| History | |
| Status | destroyed |
| Founded | 10th to 12th centuries |
| Architecture | |
| Demolished | 2001–2011 |
History
The monastery was founded in the 10th to 12th centuries and was renovated in the 17th century.[2][3]
The monastery was in ruins in the later Soviet period; the roof and upper walls were destroyed, but it was possible to discern the overall plan of the building, with vaulted hall, semicircular apse, and doorway in the south.[2][3]
The remains of the monastery were still extant on August 30, 2001, however, by July 15, 2011, the monastery had been erased, as documented by Caucasus Heritage Watch.[1]
References
- Khatchadourian, Lori; Smith, Adam T.; Ghulyan, Husik; Lindsay, Ian (2022). Silent Erasure: A Satellite Investigation of the Destruction of Armenian Heritage in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies: Ithaca, NY. pp. 342–345. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2022.
- Ayvazyan, Argam. Nakhijevani ISSH haykakan hushardzannery. Hamahavak tsutsak. Yerevan: Hayastan, 1986, p. 118.
- Ayvazian, Argam. The Historical Monuments of Nakhichevan. Transl. Krikor H. Maksoudian. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1990, p. 9.