Some of my readers may not have been aware of the attack on Armenia in the Summer of 2020 by Azerbaijan, and the subsequent violence in the Fall over Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabkh), a section of land surrounded by Azerbaijan but historically belonging to the Armenian people. Armenia controlled the region since 1994, but lost control of most of it to Turkish-backed Azerbaijan in the 2020 war that ended in a ceasefire on November 9th, 2020. Many valuable Armenian cultural and religious heritage sites are now under the control of a country that has committed acts of genocide against the Armenians in the not so distant past.

The Being in Community book of the year in 2018, The Icon Hunter, is all about a woman’s journey to recover the cultural heritage stolen from her people as well. Through the author, Tasoula Hadjitofi, I met Dr. Marina Mchitarian Lazaridou, who is equally committed to the preservation and recovery of her people’s cultural heritage. I’m honored to share this moving photo essay by Dr. Marina Mchitarian Lazaridou, who photographed Artsakh before the war as part of her cultural heritage work, and returned to it soon after the war. The photographs are preceded by background on Dr. Lazaridou’s project, as well as more information on the Artsakh war.

By Dr. Marina Mchitarian Lazaridou

Introduction

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

The last three years (2017-2019) I was working in the field of protecting cultural heritage in zones of conflict and war in the Netherlands and Cyprus. However, my research interests have been gone beyond the mentioned research area. That is why I decided to start my own journey and launch programs related to the endangered Christians of the Middle East, and peacebuilding.

I returned to Armenia and registered the non-governmental organization, Action for Peace (Human Rights, Humanitarian Aid and Peacebuilding). The first project, “Nostos: War, Identity and Peace: Dedicated to the Women of Artsakh” was planned in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). I visited Artsakh and stayed one month (August-September 2020). I returned to Yerevan, and in one week the war started.

About the War and Protecting Armenian Cultural and Religious Heritage

On the 27th of September 2020  Turkey-backed Azerbaijan launched a large-scale attack on the Republic of Artsakh along the Line of Contact. Thus Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was unfrozen. The Russia-brokered ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan signed on the 9th of November 2020 halted 44 days of bloody clashes between ethnic Armenian and Azeri forces. The Russian peacekeeping troops were deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh under the mentioned peace deal.

On the territories handed over Azerbaijan there are historic monuments of Armenian cultural and religious heritage. In the statement from the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Armenian cultural heritage sites released on the 17th of November 2020 it is stated: ”The recent bloodshed and destruction in the Nagorno-Karabakh region is a global tragedy of grave concern to us all. In addition to our plea and hope for the violence to stop, as museum leaders we urge that cultural heritage sites be protected”. Read the complete statement here.

Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, Interim General Secretary World Council of Churches, in his letter to H.E. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General UNESCO, emphasized: ”There are an estimated 4,000 historical, religious and cultural monuments in the areas of Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh now under Azerbaijani control – each of them with a powerful spiritual and cultural legacy to impart. The loss of this heritage would be an irreparable loss for the whole of humanity.” Read the full text here.

The Nostos Project

The project in Artsakh was an oral history project. I interviewed 42 women – from the minister, the deputy minister, the judges up to the village women.  To have a comprehensive picture, a few prominent men of Artsakh were interviewed as well. The oral testimonies alongside the photographic imagery create a unique database for photographic exhibits and research. The interviewees’ portraits and the photographs of the key historical and archaeological sites give a voice to the beauty of Artsakh.

Being a grandchild of the Armenian genocide survivor, I know very well what is national identity and inter-generational trauma. One of my documentary photography projects is dedicated to the three genocides – Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian. Through my project, I tried to respond to the question, “Can memory trigger a genocide prevention?”

The national and religious identity of the people of Artsakh includes its language, the Armenian church, the homeland, and the cultural and religious. “Nostos” in ancient Greek means return home. When we think about identity, we are back to our roots. Without roots there are no wings. Yes, wings. We can’t fly without knowing who we are, from where we come and where we go.

Being of Armenian-Greek origin and having a scientific background, I try always to consider national matters in an international and global context. As it was fairly noted by Aristotle Onassis: “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” Peace gives a chance to see the light. In the 21st century, the international community must not be indifferent. Geopolitical conflicts impact global peace. Let us be united, and this will be a blessing for humanity.

The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. (Isaiah 9:2)

Poster of ”Action for Peace” NGO registered in Armenia. The Co-Founder is Dr. Marina Mchitarian-Lazaridou. The three pillars of the organisation’s mission in zones of war and conflict: Human rights, Humanitarian Aid, and Peacebuilding.
Gandzasar Monastery is a 13th-century Armenian Apostolic  Monastery located in Martakert District of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh.  Its centerpiece is the Cathedral of St. Hovhannes Mkrtich (Saint John the Baptist) which is depicted on the image. As it was fairly noted, ”Gandzasar shared the turbulent history of the Armenian people.”

Dr. Marina Mchitarian-Lazaridou in Stepanakert a few weeks before the war (September 2020).
View from Gandzasar Monastery. Looking at the beautiful mountains, one understands that his/her heart is in the highlands. My photographic exhibit in Shushi, Artsakh opened in 2013 was titled ”My heart is in the highlands.” William Saroyan, the famous Armenian American author, wrote a play, ”My heart is in the highlands.”
The cross stones’ fragments in the yard of Gandzasar Monastery. The cross stones (”khachkar” in Armenian) are typical for Medieval Christian Armenian Art.
”We are our mountains” is a monument in Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh. The sculpture is considered as one of the symbols of Artsakh. It is also known as ”tatik-papik” (”grandmother and grandfather”).
Angel, the fragment of Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi City, which is now under Azeri control. The Cathedral was built in the 19th century. During the war in Artsakh started on the 27th of September 2020 the Azerbaijani Armed Forces shelled the Cathedral.

The short video is heart-breaking and heart-touching. Sevak Avanesyan, the Armenian Belgian musician, plays Komitas’ ”Krunk” in the shelled cathedral. ”Krunk” is dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire in 1915.

Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi
Gazanchetsots Cathedral: Prayer for peace. I lit these candles ten days before the war.
The old part of Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh. The photo was taken before the war.
Dadivank is a noted Armenian Apostolic Church monastery (Kalbajar District, the Armenian name of the district – Karvachar). Dadivank was built between the 9th and 13th cc. After signing the ceasefire agreement and the withdrawal of the Armenian forces from Kalbajar, the Russian peacekeeping troops guard the monastery.  
View from Dadivank
The cross stone fragment in Dadivank
Tigranakert is a ruined Armenian city dating back to the Hellenistic period. It is located in Aghdam District which was turned over Azerbaijan as a part of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement signed on the 9th of November 2020. The excavations at Tigranakert started in March 2005. The Armenian researchers excavated as well ”Early Christian square with two churches.”  During the Artsakh War 2020 Tigranakert was endangered.
Tigranakert Archaeological Museum.
Pomegranates of Artsakh. This photo with three pomegranates symbolizes the union of Armenia, Artsakh and Diaspora.

Nostos: the aftermath of the war

For the second part of my project ”Nostos: the aftermath of the war” I arrived in Artsakh on the 5th of January 2021, on the Eve of the Armenian Christmas. It was important for me to be present at the Christmas liturgy in Stepanakert. 

In 2011 the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day coincided with the Easter. First we prayed for the memory eternal of the 1915 victims and then for Resurrection. In fact, the survival of the Armenian people after 1915 is the Resurrection itself.  This Christmas we prayed that the Newborn’s Light will brighten the future of Artsakh. Simultaneously we prayed for the eternal peace of the immortal heroes.

Armenian Christmas liturgy at Holy Mother of God Cathedral, Stepanakert, Artsakh, the 6th of January 2021.
The author visited the war-torn house ruins in Stepanakert.

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