Holy Mother of God Cathedral ( hy, Սուրբ Աստվածամոր Հովանու մայր տաճար, Surb Astvatsamor Hovanu Mayr Tachar), also known as Surb Astvatsamor Hovanu Cathedral, is a church of the

Armenian Apostolic Church , native_name_lang = hy , icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg , icon_width = 100px , icon_alt = , image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , a ...

, located in the city of

Stepanakert / az, Xankəndi, italic=no , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = File:StepanakertCollage.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = From top left: Holy Mother ...

Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Artsakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh () or the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (),, is a list of states with limited recognition, breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan ...

. A 4-meter statue of King

Vachagan III Vachagan III the Pious () or Vachagan II (according to some authors) was the last Arsacid king of Caucasian Albania, ruling approximately from 485 to 523. Background His lineage is uncertain. Murtazali Gadjiev considers him a son (or nephew) of ...

was planned to be placed on a 2-meter pedestal near the church. The church - under construction for 12 years - was consecrated on April 7, 2019.

History

The cathedral became a bomb shelter during the

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, the surrounding territories. It was a major escalation of ...

, with civilians taking refuge in the basement of the cathedral from Azerbaijan's bombardment of Stepanakert.

Gallery

Stepanakert cathedral under construction March 2018-3.jpg, The cathedral under construction in March 2018

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mother of God Cathedral of Stepanakert Buildings and structures in Stepanakert Churches in the Republic of Artsakh Armenian Apostolic cathedrals Church buildings with domes Churches completed in 2019 Diocese of Artsakh 2019 establishments in the Republic of Artsakh