Armenian Church in Vaghuhas desecrated as cultural Destruction continues in occupied Artsakh

(Horizon Weekly / YEREVAN) – The Church of the Holy Mother of God in the village of Vaghuhas, in Artsakh’s Martakert region, has been vandalized, in another act targeting Armenian religious and cultural heritage under Azerbaijani control.

According to findings by the Geghard Scientific Analytical Foundation, at least one khachkar in the church courtyard has been destroyed, while sacred icons have been torn from the walls and desecrated. The damage reflects a deliberate assault on Armenian spiritual and historical sites in the region.

Consecrated on February 19, 2012, on the anniversary of Vaghuhas’s liberation, the church has stood as a symbol of the village’s Armenian identity, faith, and historical continuity. Its vandalization represents a direct attack on that legacy.

This latest incident forms part of a broader and systematic campaign to erase Armenian cultural presence in Artsakh. Churches, cemeteries, monuments, and historical sites have repeatedly been damaged, altered, or destroyed since the region came under Azerbaijani control.

Despite mounting evidence, international institutions responsible for protecting religious and cultural heritage have failed to take effective action. Their continued inaction has enabled the ongoing destruction of irreplaceable Armenian monuments.

The desecration of the Vaghuhas church adds to growing documentation of cultural destruction in Artsakh and reinforces concerns that Armenian heritage in the region is being deliberately eliminated.

Photos: Geghard Scientific Analytical Foundation