November 17, 2020 - 12:08 AMT
Azerbaijan "restores" church by covering Armenian text with glass art

Azerbaijan has "restored" a church by replacing its Armenian inscription with glass art, according to pictures shared researcher Simon Maghakyan.

Situated in Nij settlement of Azerbaijan, the building contains an Armenian text, according to which the construction of the Surb Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God) church began in the village of Nij with the people's money in 1890 and was completed at the end of that same decade.

Azerbaijanis have a record of destroying and vandalizing Armenian heritage, and if an Armenian place of worship is preserved, it is usually because they present it as a "Christian Albanian church", which is the case with this particular building.

Dadivank, an ancient Armenian monastery in Nagorno-Karabakh, will be left to Azerbaijan after a statement on the cessation of hostilities was signed by Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan. For now, though, Russian peacekeepers have been deployed to the area to ensure the safety of both the church and the perishoners.