Ghazanchetsots Cathedral

The Cathedral of the Holy Saviour, known as Ghazanchetsots, is the largest Armenian Apostolic church in the South Caucasus and one of the most visible buildings in Shusha. Completed in 1887 in a stripped neoclassical style, it has a tall central drum and dome topped by a stone spire that for decades was the city's most photographed landmark.

The cathedral was severely damaged during the Soviet period — at one point its dome was removed and the interior used as a granary — then restored in the 1990s under Armenian control. After the 2020 war Azerbaijan began a controversial reconstruction that altered the proportions of the dome and removed many of the carved Armenian inscriptions. The building's future religious use remains unsettled.

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The cathedral was shelled twice during the 2020 war — a strike on 8 October blew a hole in the dome while foreign journalists were inside. Azerbaijan denied targeting the church; Armenia called it deliberate. After the war, the new authorities began an extensive restoration that has noticeably altered the building's exterior.

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