Bishop Vratnes Abrahamyan has been serving as the Apostolic Primate of Artsakh since 2021. He spoke with The European Conservative about the history of the Artsakh region, the status of native Armenians since Azerbaijan’s occupation began, and how Christians can support the persecuted faithful.
Armenia is considered the oldest Christian nation in the world. Have European countries taken sufficient steps to protect the Armenians of Artsakh from Azerbaijani, and more broadly, Turkic (Pan-Turkic) irredentism?
As one of the world’s oldest Christian nations, it is with great sorrow that we must acknowledge the entirely indifferent stance exhibited by European countries regarding the genocidal policies and displacement inflicted upon the Armenian population of Artsakh in their own homeland—an atrocity committed in what is claimed to be the civilized 21st century. This cold and indifferent attitude was, to some extent, unexpected. Equally surprising was the similar indifference demonstrated by international organizations established by these so-called civilized states to protect fundamental human rights. It is evident that such apathy often becomes a significant factor leading to great tragedies, which no one is immune to. Therefore, discussing whether “sufficient or insufficient measures” have been taken seems, in our view, pointless.
Father, could you provide our readers with a broader understanding of the history of Christianity in the territory of Artsakh?
Certainly, as the question is both important and timely. Unfortunately, in our times, politically motivated attempts by Azerbaijan to fabricate and disseminate utterly baseless and false claims about Artsakh’s Christian heritage have gained some traction among the general public, even if they lack credibility in serious academic circles.
Regarding the spread of Christianity, according to the accounts of Armenian historians (Agathangelos, Movses Khorenatsi, Movses Dasxurantsi, and Stepanos Orbelian), Christianity was preached and disseminated in Greater Armenia during the earthly life of the Savior by His apostles. It is evident that Artsakh, as one of the provinces of Greater Armenia, was also included in the sphere of Christian missionary activity. According to preserved sources, St. Yeghishe, one of the disciples of St. Thaddeus the Apostle, continued the holy mission of the apostles and established Christian communities in the eastern regions of Armenia, as well as in the left bank of the Kur River, considered the border between Armenia and Caucasian Albania. Notably, many churches in Artsakh and Utik bear the name of St. Yeghishe, underscoring his foundational role.
From the 5th century, the episcopal see of St. Dadivank monastery is traditionally believed to have been established in the latter half of the 1st century at the burial site of Dadi, one of the 70 disciples of St. Thaddeus. This may explain why Mkhitar Gosh referred to the monastery as “Apostolic,” while 7th century sources like Movses Kaghankatvatsi called it “Dado Monastery.”
Thus, the historical evidence available today confirms that Christianity was introduced and firmly rooted in Greater Armenia, including the northeastern regions of Artsakh and Utik, starting from apostolic times. It is entirely logical, therefore, that the Armenian Church, in the words of Archbishop Maghachia Ormanian, has always “claimed and internalized the mark of Apostolicity,” presenting itself as the Armenian Apostolic Church.
In strengthening the Christian faith in the Armenian world, St. Gregory the Illuminator played a pivotal role. Through his efforts, Armenia became the first nation in the world to adopt Christianity as its state religion. The first Catholicos of the Armenians passionately preached Christianity, established churches, ordained priests, and opened schools everywhere. Artsakh was no exception; it held a central and significant place in these efforts.
According to the 5th century historian Pavstos Buzand and later accounts, including those of Movses Kaghankatvatsi in the 7th century, St. Gregory the Illuminator also traveled to the eastern regions of Armenia, founding a church in the village of Amaras. Manuscript sources, including the works of Movses Khorenatsi, Pavstos Buzand, and Movses Kaghankatvatsi, confirm that after the Illuminator, the mission of spreading Christianity in Armenia’s eastern territories was taken up by his grandson, St. Grigoris.
Continuing his mission, St. Grigoris expanded his efforts beyond Armenia’s eastern regions, traveling with his disciples to Caucasian Albania and even to the lands of the Masquts in the northeast, where he was martyred. According to Pavstos Buzand, the saint’s disciples retrieved his relics and buried them at the Amaras Church built by St. Gregory the Illuminator in the district of Haband in Artsakh.
The tomb of St. Grigoris, marked with the inscription “The Tomb of Saint Grigoris, Catholicos of Albania, Grandson of St. Gregory the Illuminator of the Parthians, Born in 322, Consecrated in 340, Martyred in 348 by Sanesan, King of the Masquts,” remained preserved in Amaras until the Azerbaijani occupation of Artsakh in 2023. Unsurprisingly, Amaras has always been one of the most cherished and significant sacred sites for the Armenian people.
In your opinion, what changed in the global situation that enabled Azerbaijan to initiate military action against the Armenian population of Artsakh? There had been relative regional stability since the early 1990s, when local Christians first declared Artsakh’s independence.
We must start from the end and clarify that Artsakh did not declare its independence for the first time in 1991. Throughout previous centuries, influenced by various political developments, Artsakh consistently maintained its autonomous governance structures, such as principalities, melikdoms, and even the National Council and government of Karabakh Armenians in 1917-1921. This historical context explains why, even after the unlawful annexation of Artsakh to Azerbaijan by the Communist Party of Russia in 1921, the local Armenian population never fully accepted this decision. From the 1920s through the 1980s, they expressed their opposition through various means and methods.
As for the preconditions of Azerbaijan’s aggression, the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war and the resulting international turmoil, coupled with behind-the-scenes agreements among key global players, clearly laid the groundwork for the tragic events surrounding Artsakh. It is well known that Azerbaijan’s aggression and clear plans to occupy Artsakh were directly supported and facilitated by Turkey, both militarily and politically.
Many reports speak of the desecration and destruction of churches and other Christian holy sites. What is the current situation for the Christians still living in Artsakh? And how many are they?
It’s not only in reports; countless videos available on the internet clearly document the state-sponsored vandalism policy carried out by that country against Armenian cultural heritage. It is widely known that even during the 2020 military operations, Armenian historical and cultural heritage sites were overtly destroyed, sometimes using advanced explosive weaponry. On October 8, 2020, the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral was subjected to a double shelling, an incident the president of Azerbaijan casually dismissed as accidental when questioned by international media. Immediately after the war, the Green Church (St. John the Baptist Church) in Shushi was demolished, and following Azerbaijan’s complete occupation of Artsakh in 2023, this church was entirely destroyed. These acts are clear evidence that Artsakh has never belonged to that country, and it’s no surprise anymore that they pursue a policy of erasing Armenian traces in a native Armenian territory. Adding to this, post-war videos of Ghazanchetsots Cathedral show its partial deformation and deliberate alterations. The foundations of a 5th-century church discovered in the Tigranakert area are now being falsely presented by so-called Azerbaijani specialists as the remnants of a Muslim bathhouse. On March 27, 2021, a video published by Azerbaijani soldiers shamelessly shows them vandalizing and desecrating the St. Yeghishe Church in the Mataghis region of Martakert.
In March 2021, during a visit to the Tsakuri Monastery in Hadrut, the president of Azerbaijan openly instructed the removal of all Armenian inscriptions from Armenian monuments, using baseless and fabricated interpretations. This directive should have prompted an appropriate response from relevant international organizations, but there has been repeated indifference toward the distortion and destruction of universal historical heritage. Consequently, these directives aimed at altering or erasing Armenian cultural heritage are implemented without restraint. Shortly after these announcements, a special committee was formed under Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Culture, tasked with eliminating Armenian traces from churches falsely labeled ‘Albanian.’ This process is now carried out openly, with numerous examples. For instance, the handover of significant Armenian spiritual centers like Dadivank (dedicated to St. Dadi, an apostle of Christ) and Amaras Monastery, along with other sites, to the Udi community is a blatant misrepresentation of Armenian religious heritage. This is a primitive expression of ignorance, to the extent that even Gandzasar is brazenly claimed as non-Armenian.
All these actions are politically motivated and carried out under clear directives from the highest leadership of that country. This is evidenced by the statement of Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, in a May 28, 2021 interview, which is widely circulated online. The president openly declared:
No one can pressure us; no one can influence us. Now, some pro-Armenian countries are making statements—let them. That’s their business. The European Parliament has adopted yet another resolution based on false information. I never pay attention to them; they are irrelevant. What matters is that we are here today, standing, and we will continue to live here forever.
As for the situation of Christians still living in Artsakh, the answer is simple. In September 2023, the entire Armenian population of Artsakh was forced to leave their homeland under the threat of genocide. Barely a dozen Armenians remained, mostly individuals living alone and facing health challenges. Some of them were later evacuated with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross. You can find online materials showing the inhumane treatment and mockery faced by the one or two individuals still reported to be in the region.
It seems fair to say that the Artsakh conflict ultimately stems from the Soviet government’s disregard for the region’s ethnic and religious realities, as well as the transfer of the territory to the newly established Azerbaijani SSR. Why do you think this was done? Do you believe the Soviet authorities’ anti-Christian stance played a role?
First, let us state that this is a vast topic, yet a highly relevant and important one for understanding the current realities in their entirety. Fundamentally, it was a political decision, and we do not believe it was motivated by anti-Christian sentiments on the part of the Soviet authorities.
It is a well-known fact that before 1918, there was no state formation called ‘Azerbaijan’ in the region. In 1918, when Russia was internally unstable, Turkey launched yet another attack with the clear aim of conquering Transcaucasia. This attempt was unsuccessful, thanks to the Armenian May Battles, in which Artsakh Armenians actively participated. However, Turkey, not abandoning its political ambitions, sought alternative methods to achieve them. Since Azerbaijan’s attempts to conquer Artsakh militarily between 1918-1920 had failed, the issue of Artsakh was resolved in Azerbaijan’s favor diplomatically through the Bolshevik government, led by Lenin. It is widely known that until 1921, Artsakh was not part of the newly formed Azerbaijan. To appease its new ally, Turkey, the Bolshevik government, through the Russo-Turkish Treaty of Moscow signed on March 16, 1921, first detached Nakhichevan from Armenia and handed it to Azerbaijan. Then, on July 5, 1921, Artsakh was similarly transferred. Interestingly, the illegal nature of this decision led to protests in Artsakh during 1921, even escalating to armed rebellion. Despite this, the decision remained unchanged, and Artsakh ended up within Azerbaijan’s borders. The only concession made to the Armenian population, consisting of more than 95% Christian Armenians, was the granting of an autonomous region status, aligning with the communists’ policy of national self-determination. This was merely an administrative format within the Soviet Union, where autonomy was granted to territories based on ethnic principles.
It is also important to highlight that Artsakh was the only region in the Soviet Union where no churches were operational.
Do you believe there is a future for Armenian culture and Christian faith in Artsakh? What will become of this ancient Armenian land?
Artsakh, an inseparable part of God-given Armenia, can and, I believe, will once again become Armenian and Christian, provided we recognize and rectify the mistakes and shortcomings that contributed to its loss. As previously mentioned, powerful states with significant influence and specific agreements played a decisive role in the fate of Artsakh.
Nevertheless, with faith in the Lord, guided by repentance, we must strive to be worthy of the God of our ancestors, acting in harmony with His will and accepting Him as an unfailing ally. This faith will enable us to live and create again on that sacred land. If this does not happen, Artsakh will turn into a hellish place where our millennia-old sacred sites and diverse values will be destroyed, inevitably meeting the fate of Nakhichevan and Western Armenia.
As a servant of God and an Armenian patriot, what is your message to Christians in Europe and the wider Western world?
I am a clergyman, and I live with the faith and hope of maintaining a clear conscience and a vision for the future of my people. For a Christian, it is essential not only to think about the salvation of the soul but also to act with faith. I pray for my Christian brothers and sisters to have enlightened minds and righteous hearts, living and acting according to Christ’s message. I urge them to visit their brothers and sisters who are enduring persecution, hardship, and captivity.
This is my fraternal exhortation and request. May the Angel of Peace bring peace to all humanity.
