Azerbaijan completely destroyed the Saint Sargis Church in Mokhrenis village of Hadrut region of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin regretfully records that, both during the second Artsakh war—in the fall of 2020—and in the post-war period, the encroachments and barbaric actions by Azerbaijan against the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage has not stopped. This is noted in a statement by the Artsakh Spiritual-Cultural Heritage Protection Office of the Mother See, and which is posted on the “Spiritual-Cultural Heritage of Artsakh” Facebook page.

"Recently, as a result of the research of satellite videos published by the Caucasus Heritage Watch structure of Cornell University, USA, it was found that Azerbaijan has leveled to the ground the St. Sargis Church (18-19 centuries) in Mokhrenis village of Hadrut region.

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin strongly condemns the ongoing cultural upheaval carried out by Azerbaijan, the goal of which is to deprive the Artsakh world of its historical identity, any evidence of Armenianness.

This adopted policy has a tendency to deepen the atmosphere of hatred and intolerance between nations, and does not contribute to the re-establishment of lasting peace in the region.

The Armenian Apostolic Holy Church calls on the international community and related organizations to give a clear assessment of this crime and to take practical steps to save the Armenian spiritual and cultural historical heritage in the territories that have ended up under the control of Azerbaijan from further elimination," the aforesaid statement adds.