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Landmark 19th century Christian cathedral in Nagorno-Karabakh damaged during shelling by Azerbaijani forces – Armenian military | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
The historic Ghazanchetsots cathedral in the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Shusha was shelled, on Thursday, by Azerbaijani forces in the ongoing conflict over the disputed region, an Armenian military spokesperson has claimed. | |
“[Our] enemy Azerbaijan has hit the symbol of Shusha,” Armenia’s defense ministry spokesperson Artsrun Hovhannisyan wrote on social media. He posted a photo showing a cloud of smoke coming from the Apostolic church’s tower. | |
Photos from inside of the Holy Savior Cathedral show a large hole in the structure’s ceiling, as well as debris and rubble scattered on the floor. | |
Ghazanchetsots, a cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church, was consecrated in 1888. Standing 35-meters high (115ft), it is considered one of the largest, and most iconic, Armenian churches in the world. | |
Azerbaijan promptly denied hitting the cathedral. A defense ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying that “the information about the damage to the church in Shusha has nothing to do with the activities of the Azerbaijani Army.” | Azerbaijan promptly denied hitting the cathedral. A defense ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying that “the information about the damage to the church in Shusha has nothing to do with the activities of the Azerbaijani Army.” |
The Azerbaijani forces “do not target historic, cultural and especially religious buildings and monuments," the spokesperson said. | The Azerbaijani forces “do not target historic, cultural and especially religious buildings and monuments," the spokesperson said. |
Shusha has been shelled several times since the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh – an Armenian-populated enclave inside what is internationally recognised as Azerbaijan – resumed on September 27. One of the shells destroyed its ‘Culture Center’ building on Sunday, causing civilian casualties on the ground. | |
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