Church of Kish
The Church of Kish (Armenian: Սուրբ Եղիշե Եկեղեցի, St. Yeghishe Church; Azerbaijani: Kiş kilsəsi) is a former Armenian Apostolic church located in the village of Kish approximately 5km north from Shaki, Azerbaijan at an altitude of 1,180 meters above sea level. Following excavations, there have been plans to turn the church into a museum.[1] In 2003, the Albanian-Udi christian community, led by Robert Mobili was registered by the state. It became possible after the restoration of church at Kish.[2]
Confusion of Kish with Gis
Many individuals have confused the location of Kish with Gis.[3]However, a study by the professor Bagrat Ulubabian differentiated the two locations.[4] According to Moses Kalankatuatsi, the settlement was situated "...in a swampy, salt-rich site which was called Gis..."[5] Meanwhile, Kish is in an area of wooded mountains. [6] Therefore, the location of Gis that Movses Kalankatuatsi referred to cannot be the Kish where this church is located [6]. Later Azerbaijani authors who wrote on the topic ignored this and continued the confusion of equating Kish with Gis.[7] Most recently, the Norwegian Bjornar Storfjell repeated the same error[1], presented through his Azerbaijani colleagues.
History of church
The origins of the town and founding of the church of St. Yeghishe are unclear. Some sources cite this church as the first church founded by St. Elisha the Apostle[8] In the meantime, the plan of the current church is dated from the 12-13th centuries.[6] A record attests to the construction of the church as part of a monastery in 1244 by the Archbishop Serapheme, and it's later destruction during Agha Muhammad Khan's invasions.[9]
In 1310, the Georgian Bishop Kyurile Donauri cites the church under the name of St. Astvatsatsin(Mother of God) and it's historical Armenian settlement[10].
In 1727 the Armenian population was oppressed by the khan, with some scattering, while others being forced to lose their religion. However, they maintained their Armenian names and continued to attend and venerate the monastery.[11] When Russia came into control of this region many Armenians converts applied to restore their faiths.[6]
19th century expansion
Starting with the second half of the 19th century the monastery and church saw much expansion and renovation. In the 1860's, the prior of the monastery, Gevorg Aramiants carried out some overhaul in Kish's Monastery.[12] An Armenian inscription dated 1865 commemorated some of this restoration, but has since disappeared. [6]
Attacks on the monastery
As an Armenian monastery in a Muslim village, there were special difficulties associated with the place. In 1885 some windows of the monastery were broken by locals in relation to a fight that had broken out. [13] The year 1909 showed another example of intolerance towards the existence of an Armenian monastery in the village when dome cross of the local sanctuary became a target of firing for some Muslims. Facing the protest raised by the Armenians, they promised to repair the leaning cross, otherwise bringing secular authorities to the conflict. [14]
Place of pilgrimage
In the 19th century, St. Yeghishe was a famous and sacred place of pilgrimage for the Armenians throughout Transcaucasia. They annually gathered there to celebrate Vardavar.[15]
Recent excavations
In 2000-2003 the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who suggested vested interests in Azerbaijan, funded a joint project between Baku State University for Architecture and Construction and the Norwegian Humanitarian Enterprise, an organization with ties to the Lutheran Church in Norway, which began working with refugees in Azerbaijan in January 1994. They aided archaeological research and restoration of the church of Kish. Dr. Vilayat Karimov of Baku's Institute of Archeology and Ethnography served as the Director of Excavations, and the Archaeological Advisor for the project was J. Bjørnar Storfjell, who currently directs the Thor Heyerdahl Research Centre in Aylesbury, England. Radiocarbon analysis of various objects found on the site showed that the cultist site found beneath the altar of the church dates to about 3000 B.C.[dubious – discuss], while the construction of the existing church building dates to about the 12th century (990-1160 A.D.)[dubious – discuss].[16] The report and excavations were marred for containing numerous errors and factual inaccuracies.[6] Not only did the most recent work reiterate the confusion of Kish and Gis, but also claimed the monastery has been inactive for nearly 200 years now, contrary to numerous reports.[1]
References
- ^ a b c Azerbaijan International Magazine - The Kish Church, Digging Up History, Norwegians Help Restore Ancient Church: An interview with J. Bjornar Storfjell
- ^ Orthodoxy in Azerbaijan
- ^ Jalaliants, S., Journey to Great Armenia, Tpkhis, 1858, p. 370
- ^ Ulubabian, B., Verification of Certain Historical and Geographical Names, in "Banber Yerevani Hamalsarani," 1971, N 1, pp. 176-177 .
- ^ Movses Kaghankatvatsi, History of Aghvank, Yerevan, 1983, p. 95
- ^ a b c d e f Karapetian, Samvel. Kish Village, Shaki District, Republic of Azerbaijan. Research on Armenian Architecture.
- ^ Mammadova, Gulchohra. "The Azerbaijan-Norwegian Kish Project: Progress Report." The History of Caucasus: Scientific Public Almanac 2(June 2002). p. 33-40.
- ^ "Meghu Hayastani" 1881, N 123, p. 1
- ^ "Caucasian Calendar for 1852", Tiflis, 1851, p. 271 "Монастыр во имя Св. Апостола Егишея при селении Киш и Киш построен в 1244 г. по Р. Х. Архидиаконом Серафимом. Опустел во время нашествия Шаха Агамагмада".
- ^ Muradian, P., The Georgian Inscriptions of Armenia, Yerevan, 1977, p. 11
- ^ "Nor-Dar" 1889, N 208, p. 2
- ^ "Ararat," 1875, pp. 31-32
- ^ "Nor-Dar," 1885, N 135, p. 1
- ^ "Surhandak," 1909, N 16, p. 3
- ^ "Caucasian Calendar for 1886," Tiflis, 1885, p. 151
- ^ Azerbaijan International Magazine. About the Kish Church Reconstruction Project