Photos show demolition of Christian churches by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh

Satellite imagery confirms Azerbaijan demolished two Armenian Christian churches in Nagorno-Karabakh, including the main cathedral in Khankendi. | Contesto: cronaca

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• Photos show demolition of Christian churches by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh

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Satellite imagery has confirmed the destruction of two Christian churches in the city of Khankendi, known to Armenians as Stepanakert, in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, according to photos published by Radio Free Europe. The images show that the Holy Mother of God Cathedral, consecrated in 2019 and the main center of worship for Christians in the city, has been demolished, along with the Church of St. Jacob. Reports of the cathedral's destruction first emerged in Armenian media in April, and the new satellite photos appear to corroborate those claims. The Holy Mother of God Cathedral was a relatively new structure, completed only a few years before the Azerbaijani offensive in 2023. Its destruction marks a significant cultural and religious loss for the Armenian community, which had long considered the cathedral a symbol of their presence in the region. The Church of St. Jacob, another historic place of worship, also appears to have been razed, according to the satellite evidence. The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the governing body of the Armenian Apostolic Church, earlier this month accused Azerbaijan of deliberately targeting Armenian Christian holy sites in an effort to erase the Armenian footprint in Nagorno-Karabakh. The demolitions come in the wake of Azerbaijan's military takeover of the enclave in September 2023, which ended three decades of de facto Armenian control. Nagorno-Karabakh, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, had been governed by the self-declared Republic of Artsakh since the end of the first Nagorno-Karabakh war in 1994. The 2023 offensive triggered a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians, with the vast majority fleeing into the neighboring Republic of Armenia. The region, once home to a predominantly Armenian population, now stands largely depopulated of its former inhabitants. The destruction of the churches has drawn condemnation from Armenian religious and political leaders, who view it as part of a broader campaign to erase Armenian heritage from the area. The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has called on international bodies to intervene, stating that the targeting of religious sites violates...

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