The Artsakh Cultural and Tourism Development Agency has reported that the Holy Mother of God Church in Stepanakert has been destroyed by Azerbaijani authorities.
It stated that under these circumstances, the “near-total silence of the Armenian authorities is unacceptable.”
“On the eve of the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, it has been recorded that the Azerbaijani occupation administration has destroyed the Holy Mother of God Church in Stepanakert.
This is not merely the demolition of a church. It is a continuation of the same policy that led to the Armenian Genocide a century ago. Today, it manifests in new forms—as cultural genocide and a planned process of erasing the homeland, aimed at the final elimination of Armenian historical memory, culture, and spiritual presence in Artsakh. What is being destroyed is not only buildings, but also a people’s identity, past, and right to a future.
In these conditions, the near-complete silence of the authorities of the Republic of Armenia is unacceptable. When our sacred sites are being destroyed, silence is no longer neutrality—it becomes acquiescence to the crime being committed.
Equally shameful and dangerous is the silence of the international community, as well as international and specialized organizations engaged in the protection of cultural heritage. This silence not only fails to stop the perpetrator but also encourages further crimes, creating an atmosphere of impunity.
The authorities of the Republic of Armenia are obliged to immediately provide a clear political assessment of this barbarism, publicly condemn the policy of destroying cultural heritage in Artsakh, and take effective diplomatic steps to raise the issue on international platforms.
At the same time, it must be clearly stated that the right of the Armenian population of Artsakh to return to their homeland is inalienable and cannot be questioned. The destruction of cultural heritage is also aimed at denying that right—by erasing memory and undermining the possibility of return.
The Holy Mother of God Church, built between 2000 and 2019, was one of the most important spiritual centers of Stepanakert. It restored a centuries-old church presence in an area where a functioning church since the late 19th century had been closed during Soviet times and converted into a secular building. The newly built cathedral became a living symbol of the revival of faith, preservation of memory, and continuity of Armenian identity.
Today, its destruction has become another episode in the same tragic chain that began with the genocide a century ago and continues now—targeting not only material values but also the memory, dignity, and the right of a people to live and return to their homeland,” the statement said.
Earlier it was reported that the Azerbaijani side had demolished not only the Saint Hakob Church built in 2007 on Hakimyan Street in Stepanakert, but had also leveled the entire surrounding area, as seen in circulated photographs. This indicates that khachkars and monuments located on the church grounds were also destroyed.
