Amenaprkich Monastery of Old Jugha (Julfa)
Location: Gulustan (Az.) / Jugha (Arm.)
Destruction
The Amenaprkitch Monastery of Old Jugha was in ruins when historian Argam Ayvazyan documented the site as part of his fieldwork in Nakhchivan (1964-1987). It consisted of an outer wall, small church, porch, refectory, and other associated buildings. The church itself was a domed structure with a main apse, two vestries, and an entrance on the western side, which bore an Armenian inscription. 1,2,3
The monastery is clearly visible in KH-9 Hexagon images from both 1973 (see timeline below) and 1982 (first swipe below left). By 2003, the destruction of the monastery's remaining ruins was underway. A QuickBird image from September 23 of that year (first swipe right) shows extensive damage to the outer wall and the remaining standing structures, with clear indices of earthmoving in the area. A subsequent QuickBird image from May 28, 2009, (see timeline below) shows that erosion at the site had continued to degrade the lingering footprint of the destroyed monastery.
Drag the swipe tool right to see the standing ruins of the monastery in 1982; drag left to see the site in 2003 after the monastery had been razed.
Geolocation
Situated on a hill, Amenaprkich Monastery was located 3km northwest of the Cemetery of Old Jugha (N.307). 1,2,3 The monastery's location is marked on Soviet topographic maps of 1940 (1:50K scale), 1941 (1:100K scale), and 1977 (1:50K scale). CHW confirmed the monastery's precise location using KH-9 Hexagon satellite imagery dated July 29, 1973.
Timeline
Image Gallery
Images © Argam Ayvazyan Archive, used with permission.
References
1 Ayvazyan, Argam. Nakhijevani ISSH haykakan hushardzannery. Hamahavak tsutsak. Yerevan: Hayastan, 1986, p. 104.
2 Ayvazyan, Argam. The Historical Monuments of Nakhichevan. Transl. by Krikor H. Maksoudian. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1990, 63.
3 Ayvazyan, Argam. Jugha. Yerevan: Sovetakan grogh. 1984, p. 27.
4 Generalnyi Shtab Krasnoi Armii, J-38-44-A (Julfa), 1:50,000, 1940.
5 Generalnyi Shtab Krasnoi Armii, J-38-44 (Julfa), 1941.
6 KH-9 Hexagon, D3C1206-100170F021, July 29, 1973.
7 Generalnyi shtab, J-38-44-A (Julfa), 1:50,000, 1977.
8 KH-9 Hexagon, DSC1217-200631A018, July 12, 1982.
9 Maxar Technologies & East View Geospatial, September 23, 2003.
10 Maxar Technologies & East View Geospatial, May 28, 2009.
