Azerbaijan destroys church dome cross in Artsakh's Martuni

A newly surfaced video circulated by Azerbaijani sources appears to document the deliberate removal and destruction of the dome cross of the Surb Nerses the Great Church in the town of Martuni, Artsakh, the Monument Watch warned.

The incident has been independently confirmed by Hovik Avanesov, an expert monitoring Artsakh’s cultural heritage. The organization had previously reported ongoing damage to the church as early as Oct. 30, 2025, citing broken windows and visible bullet impacts on the structure.

Located in the northwestern section of Martuni, at the intersection of Azatamartikner and Leonard Petrosyan Streets, the church is a cruciform structure supported by four interior columns. Its dome, constructed on a quadrilateral base and capped with a pyramidal roof, was crowned by a cross – a central architectural and symbolic feature now reportedly destroyed.

The Artsakh Monument Watch condemned the act, characterizing it as a violation of international cultural protection norms. The organization referenced the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which defines cultural heritage as property of “great importance to the cultural heritage of every people” regardless of origin or ownership.

Experts also argue that the damage contravenes a Dec. 7, 2021, ruling by the International Court of Justice, which obliges Azerbaijan to “take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration” targeting Armenian cultural heritage.

Experts warn that the removal of the cross constitutes a significant breach of the monument’s structural and symbolic integrity. According to UNESCO’s Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, integrity refers to the wholeness and intactness of a site and its attributes. The cross, they note, is not merely ornamental but an essential component of the church’s religious and architectural identity.

Under Paragraphs 88 and 89 of the guidelines, heritage sites must retain all elements necessary to express their outstanding universal value, and their physical features must remain in a well-preserved and unaltered condition. The absence or destruction of such defining features undermines both the authenticity and integrity of the monument.

Observers warn that continued damage to cultural and religious sites in Artsakh represents not only a loss for the Armenian people but also a broader erosion of global cultural diversity.