Office for the Spiritual and Cultural Heritage of Artsakh

Shushi Region, Shushi City

Known as St. John the Baptist, Green Chapel, or Karabakhtsiots, this church was located in the elevated western part of Shushi town. Initially constructed of wood in 1840, it was rebuilt as a stone cross-domed church between 1847 and 1857.

After the establishment of Soviet rule in the 1920s and the annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan, the Green Chapel, like other churches, was closed. By 1975, the church’s vicinity was converted into a health resort, and the sacred structure itself was repurposed as a mineral water hall.

Following the liberation of Shushi in 1992 and minor restoration efforts. By 1999, the church was fully restored with the support of benefactors and the Armenian Apostolic Church, and its surroundings were renovated. The church remained operational until November 8, 2020, when Shushi fell to Azerbaijani forces. Shortly after the war, in November 2020, the church was blown up, and by 2024, it had been completely leveled to the ground.

Shushi Region, Shushi City

The Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral is located in the central part of Shushi and was the largest church in the region. By decree of the Russian Empire on March 11, 1836, the cathedral was recognized as the center of the Armenian Diocese of Karabakh.

In the early 19th century, the original church at the site was in a dilapidated condition. Construction of the new church began in 1868, and the cathedral was solemnly consecrated on September 20, 1888.

Following the annexation of Artsakh to Azerbaijan in 1921, the cathedral was closed. After Armenians were expelled from Shushi in 1988, Azerbaijani forces vandalized the church, including destroying the angel statues of its bell tower.

After the liberation of Shushi on May 9, 1992, and the end of the war in 1994, the cathedral underwent restoration. It became the seat of the Diocese of Artsakh of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

On October 8, 2020, during the 44-day war, the cathedral was shelled twice by Azerbaijani forces. After Shushi was captured by Azerbaijan later in 2020, so-called "restoration" work began, aimed at distorting the cathedral’s Armenian Christian identity. Armenian inscriptions were erased, and the dome was altered.