NKR Ombudsman of Cultural Heritage: The Holy Mother of God Church in  Artsakh is under serious threat of destruction

ArmInfo.The Holy Mother of God Church in  Mets Shen, a village  in the occupied Artsakh,  is under serious threat of destruction, as stated by Hovik Avanesov, Cultural Heritage Ombudsman of Artsakh and Vice President of the Azgayin Historical and Cultural NGO, on his Facebook page.

According to the Ombudsman, this is evidenced by satellite images  from the American company Planet, which show extensive excavation and  construction work  carried out directly to the east and north of the  church between October 31, 2025, and May 14, 2026.

 "It has become clear that these activities are being carried out in  in the immediate vicinity of the historical and cultural monument  without international professional oversight, transparency, or public  accountability.  Such actions raise serious concerns regarding the  physical integrity of the church, the preservation of its historical  and architectural environment, and the monument's long-term  survival," Avanesov noted.  Meanwhile, as the Ombudsman noted, the  Holy Mother of God Church is one of the most significant components  of the Armenian Christian cultural heritage of Artsakh, possessing  not only religious but also historical, architectural, and  identity-related value. Any intervention carried out in the vicinity  of the monument that fails to comply with internationally recognized  standards for cultural heritage preservation may result in the  distortion of its historical appearance, the alteration of its  cultural values, or even irreversible loss.

The NKR Cultural Heritage Ombudsman pointed out that numerous cases  of vandalism, alteration, falsification of identity, and destruction  of Armenian cultural heritage have been documented in the  Azerbaijani-occupied territories of Artsakh in recent years. These  incidents have been recorded and reported by numerous international  experts, academic institutions, and heritage-monitoring  organizations. 

"In this context, the ongoing activities around the Holy Mother of  God Church of Mets Shen cannot be regarded as ordinary economic or  infrastructure-related works and require urgent international  investigation.  It is highly condemnable that actions continue to be  carried out that endanger the indigenous Armenian cultural heritage  of Artsakh while disregarding the fundamental principles of  international law concerning the protection of cultural property,  including obligations established under UNESCO conventions and the  1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the  Event of Armed Conflict,"  Avanesov stated.

He called on international organizations, international  organizations, UNESCO, professional heritage preservation bodies, the  academic community, and international human rights organizations to  respond urgently to this situation, conduct independent monitoring,  and undertake effective measures to ensure the preservation of the  Holy Mother of God Church of Mets Shen and other Armenian cultural  monuments of Artsakh.

 "The destruction of cultural heritage cannot be justified by any  political, military, or other circumstances.  This is a matter of  responsibility for the international community, and its prevention  requires immediate and consistent action," the Artsakh Cultural  Heritage Ombudsman concluded.