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Religion in Artsakh was characterized by a largely homogeneous Christian population (99%) who overwhelmingly belonged to the Armenian Apostolic Church (98%).
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Islam arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh with Arabs in the seventh century, gradually increasing as Islamic nations ruled the region.
In the sixteenth century, the first shah of the Safavid dynasty, Ismail I (r. 1486–1524) established Shia Islam as the state religion. [2] The Safavid dynasty would have a strict policy of enforcing Shia Islam, which would bring political conflict with the Sunnis of the neighbouring Ottoman Empire. [2]
In 1806, Nagorno-Karabakh was annexed by the Russian Empire from the Persian Qajar dynasty, and Emperor Paul I of Russia issued a charter titled "About their admission to Russian suzerainty, land allocation, rights and privileges", it was noted that the Christian heritage of the Karabakh region and all their people were admitted to the Russian suzerainty. [3]
In 1918, the First Republic of Armenia and Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918–20) declared independence from Russia during the Russian Civil war, but were both promptly incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920. During the Soviet era, state atheism was enforced, which resulted in all of Nagorno-Karabakh's Churches and Mosques being closed.
There are hundreds of churches scattered throughout Artsakh, because the vast majority of the population belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church. Some notable ones include:
The vast majority of mosques in Artsakh are in Shusha, which was majority-Muslim between the Shusha massacre and the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. One major exception to this is Agdam Mosque, a 19th-century mosque in the ghost town of Aghdam.
Nagorno-Karabakh is a region in Azerbaijan, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. Part of the greater region of Karabakh, it spans the area between Lower Karabakh and Syunik. Its terrain mostly consists of mountains and forestland.
Articles related to the Azerbaijan Republic include:
Artsakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh or the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, was a breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory was internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Between 1991 and 2023, Artsakh controlled parts of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, including its capital Stepanakert. It had been an enclave within Azerbaijan from the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war until the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive, when the Azerbaijani military took control over the remaining territory controlled by Artsakh. Its only overland access route to Armenia after the 2020 war was via the 5 km (3.1 mi) wide Lachin corridor, which was placed under the supervision of Russian peacekeeping forces.
Shusha or Shushi is a city in Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Situated at an altitude of 1,400–1,800 metres (4,600–5,900 ft) in the Karabakh mountains, the city was a mountain resort in the Soviet era.
Gandzasar is a 13th-century Armenian Apostolic cathedral near the village of Vank in the Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan. It has historically been the most important church of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) since its foundation. One of the finest pieces of Armenian architecture of the mid-1200s, the building is best known among scholars for its richly decorated dome.
Holy Savior Cathedral, commonly referred to as Ghazanchetsots, is an Armenian Apostolic cathedral in Shusha in Azerbaijan. It is the cathedra of the Diocese of Artsakh of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Standing 35 metres (115 ft) high, Ghazanchetsots is one of the largest Armenian churches in the world. A landmark of Shusha and the Karabakh region, and of Armenian cultural and religious identity, it is listed as cultural and historical monument of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh.
Saint John the Baptist Church, commonly known as Kanach Zham is an Armenian Apostolic church in Shusha in Azerbaijan, in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, located just uphill from the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral. Kanach Zham means "Green Chapel" in Armenian, which refers to the previously green domes of the church. The church is sometimes also called Gharabakhtsots, the name of the old wooden church that was previously located in the same place as Kanach Zham, and which was named as such in honor of the farmers of Nagorno-Karabakh who built it.
Amaras Monastery is an Armenian monastery near the village in the Khojavend District of Azerbaijan and formerly the Republic of Artsakh. It was a prominent religious and educational center in medieval Armenia.
Nagorno-Karabakh is located in the southern part of the Lesser Caucasus range, at the eastern edge of the Armenian Highlands, encompassing the highland part of the wider geographical region known as Karabakh. Under Russian and Soviet rule, the region came to be known as Nagorno-Karabakh, meaning "Mountainous Karabakh" in Russian. The name Karabakh itself was first encountered in Georgian and Persian sources from the 13th and 14th centuries to refer to lowlands between the Kura and Aras rivers and the adjacent mountainous territory.
The Karabakh Council was the unrecognised government over Mountainous Karabakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in eastern Armenia between 1918 and 1920. The council's body was elected by the assembly of Mountainous Karabakh—the representative body of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh—on 27 July 1918. Initially it was called the People's Government of Karabakh, but in September 1918 it was renamed into the Karabakh Council. The Karabakh Council's control throughout 1918–1920 did not exceed the ethnic Armenian locales of Karabakh which were subordinate to them. The council's statehood related to the historical Artsakh province and the modern-day self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh founded in 1991. Its capital was the city of Shushi (Shusha).
Dashalty or Karin Tak is a village in the Shusha District of Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Until 2024, the village was controlled by the Republic of Artsakh. The village had an ethnic Armenian-majority population prior to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, and also had an Armenian majority in 1989.
Talish is a village in the Aghdara District in Azerbaijan, in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The village had an ethnic Armenian-majority population prior to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, and also had an Armenian majority in 1989.
This page lists in alphabetical order articles related to the Republic of Artsakh and Nagorno-Karabakh region. For a topically arranged list of articles, please see Outline of the Republic of Artsakh.
Culture of Artsakh includes artifacts of tangible and intangible culture that has been historically associated with Artsakh in the Southern Caucasus, controlled by Azerbaijan. These include monuments of religious and civil architecture, memorial and defense structures, and various forms of art.
The Five Melikdoms of Karabakh, also known as Khamsa Melikdoms, were Armenian feudal entities on the territory of modern Nagorno-Karabakh and neighboring lands, from the dissolution of the Principality of Khachen in the 15th century to the abolition of ethnic feudal entities by the Russian Empire in 1822.
The Diocese of Artsakh is one of the largest dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Nagorno-Karabakh. It is named after the historic province of Artsakh; the 10th province of the Kingdom of Armenia. The diocesan headquarters are located on Ghazanchetots street 72, in the town of Shushi. The seat of the bishop is the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral. On 21 January 2022, Vrtanes Abrahamyan was appointed Primate of the Diocese.
Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan is an Armenian clergyman who served as the Primate of the Diocese of Artsakh of the Armenian Apostolic Church from the re-establishment of the diocese in 1989 until 2021. He retired from his post in January 2021 and was appointed Pontifical envoy-at-large by Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians.
Shosh or Shushikend is a village in the Khojaly District of Azerbaijan. It was under the de facto control of breakaway Republic of Artsakh until the Azerbaijani takeover of the region in 2023. The village had an ethnic Armenian-majority population until the exodus of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh following the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive.
The 2020 shelling of Ghazanchetsots Cathedral took place prior to the Battle of Shusha on 8 October, when the Holy Savior Cathedral of the city of Shusha, known as Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, was struck twice by missiles, resulting in the collapse of a part of the roof. Armenia accused the Azerbaijani Armed Forces over the shelling.
The Battle of Shusha was the final and decisive battle of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, fought between the armed forces of Azerbaijan and the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, militarily supported by Armenia, over the control of the city of Shusha. The battle is considered one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
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