Kanach Zham: Difference between revisions

| functional_status = Destroyed

'''Saint John the Baptist Church''' ({{Lang-hy|Սուրբ Հովհաննես Մկրտիչ եկեղեցի}}), commonly known as '''Kanach Zham''' ({{lang-hy|Կանաչ Ժամ}}), was an [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Apostolic]] church in [[Shusha]] (known to Armenians as ''Shushi'') in [[Azerbaijan]], in the region of [[Nagorno-Karabakh]], located just uphill from the [[Ghazanchetsots Cathedral]]. Kanach Zham means "Green Chapel" in [[Armenian language|Armenian]], which refers to the previously green domes of the church. The church is sometimes also called ''Gharabakhtsots'', the name of the old wooden church that was previously located in the same place as Kanach Zham, and which was named as such in honor of the farmers of [[Nagorno-Karabakh]] who built it.<ref name="360GreatArmenia">{{cite web|url=http://www.360greatarmenia.am/kanach-zham-church|title=Kanach Zham Church|website=360GreatArmenia.am}}</ref>

The church was demolished by Azerbaijan between December 2023 and April 2024,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |title=DESTRUCTION ALERT: Between December 28, 2023 and April 4, 2024, St. John the Baptist church (S. Hovhannes Mkrtich), a 177 year old landmark in Shusha was destroyed, Azerbaijan’s most egregious violation yet of a December 2021 |url=https://twitter.com/CaucasusHW/status/1781024819296833764}}</ref> although the Azerbaijani government and the Baku Eparchy of the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] had previously maintained that the church, which suffered damage during the war, was still standing and undergoing "renovation".<ref name="CK">{{cite web|url=https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/363584/|title=Баку объяснил реставрационными работами демонтаж купола храма в Шуше|website=[[Caucasian Knot]]|date=2021-05-05}}</ref>