Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Church of Shushi

Region

Artsakh

Distance from Yerevan

339.7 km

Type

Monastery/Church

4.6 (40)

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The Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Church of Shushi was originally built from wood. In the mid-19th century, the wooden structure was replaced by a stone three-nave basilica, which was already in poor condition by 1847. After a long period of correspondence, Metropolitan Baghdasar decided to build a new church. Design work began in 1867, was approved in 1868, and construction was completed in 1887 under the guidance of architect Simeon Ter-Hakobyants and master builder Avetis Yaramishyants, funded by community donations. The cathedral is cruciform with a central dome, has three entrances, polygonal vestibules, tall windows, and rich ornamentation. Modeled after the Mother Cathedral of Etchmiadzin, it features a central drum and conical dome. The walls contain numerous Armenian inscriptions. The bell tower was built earlier, in 1858, initiated by Abraham Khandamiryan of Shushi, in memory of Gabriel Hovsepyan-Batiryants and the Ghazanchetsis. It is three stories high, with arched openings on the ground floor, angel statues above, and is topped with a fan-shaped dome. It predates the stone cathedral, as an 18th-century wooden church once stood on the same site. Both the cathedral and the bell tower are built from white hewn limestone, forming the architectural dominant of Shushi.