Kashatagh region
Occupied as a result of the 2020 Azeri aggression.
The Kashatagh region was formed in 1993, in the south-western part of Artsakh in the liberated former Lachin and its adjacent regions. It covers most of the Hakari river basin. The highest peak is Tsrasar at 3616 metres. It has the rivers Hakari (with tributaries Aghavno, Hochants, Shalua), Voghji and Vorotan. A cuneiform inscription from the times of Urartu has been found on the wall of a cave 20 kilometres south of Berdzor, the administrative centre of the region. Among the Christian monuments, the Tsitsernavank monastery church (4-6th centuries) is probably the most important. Not far from it, is the 16th century Palace of Melik Haikaz which was renovated and till the 2020 war functioned as a hotel. The region was liberated on May 18, 1992, ten days after the liberation of Shushi and secured land connection between Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia.
Came under Azerbaijan's control as a consequence of the 2020 war.
Aghavno River Valley and Tsitsernavank
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Tsitsernavank
Came under Azeri occupation as a consequence of the 2020 war. Status is unknown.
Tsitsernavank is situated on an elevation at the junction of the Hakari and Aghavno rivers. It was first mentioned in 844 but architectural features prove it is a basilica from the 4-6th centuries.
A village called Tsitsernavank existed near the monastery in the past. Two explanations of the name exist. One is that it was called so because of the swallows (tsitsernak) living on the rocks of the canyon where the church is built. One swallow (tsitser –swallow + vank-monastery), according to the folk story, threw itself into the pot where builders were boiling meat and saved them from the snake that had crept into the pot. Thus, the church was named as a reminder of the sacrifice. The second version is that St. Peter the Apostle’s little finger (tsitser) was kept in the monastery as a relic, and this version seems to be the prevalent one these days.
Aghavno
Came under Azeri occupation as a consequence of the 2020 war. Status is unknown.
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Berdzor
Came under Azeri occupation as a consequence of the 2020 war. Status is unknown.
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The Berdzor Holy Ascension Church, 1998 | ||
