Karkazhan, Cemetery of the Karmir kerts hamlet, khachkar № 4
Monument
Monument type
Khachkar initial, sequential and current
The khachkar was carved in the medieval period as a tombstone. In the 19th century, it was likely moved from its original cemetery and erected on the southern side of the Karmir Avetaran Church, alongside three other medieval khachkars. On September 20, 2023, the area was seized by the Azerbaijani army. The current condition of the monument is unknown. Original ownership and affiliation
Belonged to the medieval cemetery known as “Khach” (Karmir Avetaran) of the settlement of Karmir Kerts1. The name of conservation unit
Khachkar A topographic report
Region (province), community
Province of Harjlanq (later Varanda) in the historical province of Artsakh, Greater Armenia; in the area of the village of Karkajan (Krkzhan), which, after liberation, was incorporated into the city of Stepanakert. Address
Stepanakert, Karkajan, Karmir Kerts settlement Topography
Situated southwest of Stepanakert, on a plateau beneath the prominent red cliff formationknown as Karmir Kerts. Distance and location from community
Situated 1.6 km southwest of the Krkzhan neighborhood of Stepanakert. Site elevation above sea level
1130 meters above sea level. Hydrography
Located 1.8 km east of the Vararakn River. Description
The khachkar is situated on the southern side of the Karmir Avetaran Church, within a sacred precinct containing four medieval khachkars. This small monument is carved from whitish-gray limestone. The lower part is embedded in the ground; the relief cross is weathered and covered with moss. The upper portion of the stone is broken.
At the center of the composition, beneath the cross niche, is a large cross with broad arms. Due to weathering and moss, most carved details are barely visible. In the lower left section of the relief, a fragment of a palm branch rising toward the horizontal arms of the cross can be discerned. The entire composition is framed with a thick rope-patterned decorative band.
Historical record
Cultural characteristics, period, century (centuries)
Armenian Apostolic Church, Medieval period. Documents for dating: according to a reliable document
According to stylistic and artistic features. Chronological table of monument
Carved in the medieval period as a tombstone; likely relocated to the southern side of the Karmir Avetaran Church in the 19th century. Chronological table of research on the monument (period, author, works)
In 2012–2013, under the commission of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Artsakh, field research was conducted by Gagik Sargsyan and Lernik Hovhannisyan2. Brief historical overview
No information or references to the monument are known from historical sources. Descriptive-Characterization Report
Type
Tombstone Dimensions: width
48 cm Dimensions: height
64 cm Dimensions: depth, thickness
17 cm State of conservation: Qualitative (good, average, bad, emergency, ruins)
Average Value
This khachkar, along with the tombstones at the same site, is of significant historical and cultural value for the study and documentation of the historical environment around Stepanakert, Armenian medieval monuments, and the intangible cultural heritage of Artsakh. ----------------------------
1 Kerts, in the Artsakh dialect: rock, rocky massif.2 Protective zone of an immovable historical and cultural monument of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Artsakh.
Photos
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Main bibliography
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A. H. , A. L-Y.