St. Stepanos (Stephen) Church :: ARTSAKH HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

St. Stepanos (Stephen) Church 16 — 17 cc․

NKR / Kashatagh / Harar

Location
1671 y․

The village church, former called St. Stephanos, is situated on the slope at the eastern edge of main Harar. It is damaged, although it had been obviously rebuilt in the place of an older one in the XVI-XVII cent.

The name of the church is mentioned in the colophon of the Gospel copied in 1671 ("Banber Matenadarani, N 15, p. 323) (in Arm.).
Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p.175.

Description
1841 y․

The same church goes under St. Hripsime ntme in the documents of 1841 and later periods, i. e. it was rebuilt, anointed and renamed upon the completion. The building was decayed in the late 19th century already: “It has a church, but there is nothing but the name... bare walls without any plaster.. ,” Probably taking into consideration the dramatic condition of the church another document stated: “It has no church.,. “

SCHARA, F. 56, L 1, c. 305, p. 45 (in Arm.).
"Nor Dar", 1899, N 63, p. 3 (in Arm.).
M. Bishop Barkhutariants, Artsakh, Baku, 1895, p. 401.
Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 175.

Architectural Description

Only the southern and part of the western façade are presently preserved. It was planned as a single nave vaulted basilica with one entrance in the southern facade, without sacristies or building inscriptions. A tombstone adorned with crosses is fastened above the entrance as a tympanum. Several khachkars and grave stones are fastened into the walls. The medieval khachkar at the threshold (based on the stylistic and artistic peculiarities - dating back to the XII-XIII cent, dimensions: 108 x 70 x 35) shows traces of erased inscription. There are double pilasters in the walls, indicating the place of the arch, which supported the vault. Neither of them is now preserved. The building was completely built of coarse stone (prevalently white flagstone) and mortar. The baptism font was missing, though it had been in situ till at least 1960 and contained an inscription of 1901.

"Corpus", Issue 5, compiled by S. Barkhudarian, Yerevan, 1982, p. 196.
Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 175.

Type Photo
Direction From the south
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Colour Negative

Type Photo
View `
Direction From the west
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative

Type Photo
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative

Entrance

Type Photo
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative

Khachkar fastened into the southern facade

Type Photo
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative

Tombstone fastened instead of the tympanum

Type Photo
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative

Fragmented khachkar in the southern facade

Type Photo
Author Samvel Karapetyan

A tombstone of the XVII cent fastened in stead of the tympanum

Author Samvel Karapetyan
Date 2006 y․

Name	Year/Century	Etymology
St. Hripsime