On April 26, 2026, a video was published on the Facebook page of the "Xocavənd Rayon İcra Hakimiyyəti," documenting the damage to the cross atop the dome of the St. Nerses the Great Church in the city of Monteaberd (Martuni), Artsakh. This information was confirmed by Hovik Avanesov, an expert monitoring the cultural heritage of Artsakh.

It should be noted that as part of the "Monitoring of Artsakh’s Cultural Heritage" program, reports were received as early as October 30, 2025, regarding periodic damage to the church, specifically broken windows and bullet holes in the structure.

The church is located in the northwestern part of the intersection of Azatamartikner and Leonard Petrosyan Streets in the city of Martuni. The building is cross-shaped: the dome, featuring a quadrangular base and a pyramidal roof, rests on four columns, with a cross mounted at its peak.

Our Response and Legal Basis

The 1954 Hague Convention, which serves as the foundation for other international treaties, defines cultural property in its first article as "movable or immovable heritage which is of great importance to the cultural heritage of every people, regardless of origin or ownership."

Furthermore, the blatant desecration of the monument violates the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague dated December 7, 2021. According to this ruling, "Azerbaijan is obliged to take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage..." (International Court of Justice, Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan), 7 December 2021, No. 2021/34).

Damage inflicted on the cultural values of any people is a blow to the cultural heritage of all humanity, as every nation contributes to global cultural diversity.

The removal and intentional damage of the cross from the dome of St. Nerses the Great Church in Martuni is a gross violation of the structure’s integrity. According to the definition from the 36th UNESCO Expert Meeting, integrity is the capacity of heritage to maintain and preserve its meaning and significance over time.

According to Paragraph 88 of the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, integrity is a measure of the wholeness of natural and/or cultural values and their heritage characteristics. This means the site must include all elements necessary to express and preserve its Outstanding Universal Value.

Paragraph 89 of the same guidelines specifies that for cultural heritage sites, the physical characteristics must be well-preserved and unaltered. In this case, the cross is a key element that completes the symbolic and architectural integrity of the sacred structure. Its removal or absence distorts the cultural and religious significance of the monument.

Additionally, Paragraph 82 of the guidelines states that the preservation of heritage is considered complete only when it meets the requirements of both authenticity and integrity. The actions taken against the St. Nerses the Great Church, which result in the alteration of its historically established appearance, directly contradict international conservation principles and lead to the destruction of the historical environment and spiritual values.