The targeting of Hadrut’s Holy Resurrection Church and other churches as well is consistent with Azerbiajan’s erasure of its Christian past, and its ally Turkey’s contempt for its own Christian history. In Turkey, as well as all over the Middle East and in Central Asia, one principal manifestation of this contempt is the fact that there are mosques built on the former sites of Christian churches, and most notoriously, world-renowned churches that have been converted to mosques, such as Hagia Sophia and the Monastery of Chora. All this is part of an ongoing attempt in both Azerbaijan and Turkey to efface all traces of the Christian presence, so as to give the impression that no Christians ever lived in a particular area from which they were been driven out, and no injustice was actually done.
This is one reason why it is so important for Christians and all people of good will to preserve historical memories of the Greek, Armenian, and Assyrian genocides of the early twentieth centuries, and all other incidents of the persecution of Christians throughout history.
For more ChristianPersecution.com coverage of the persecution of Christians in Azerbaijan, see here.
“Azerbaijan desecrates Hadrut church: cross removed, Armenian inscription erased,” by Siranush Ghazanchyan, Public Radio of Armenia, April 28, 2022:
Holy Resurrection Church in Hadrut has been desecrated, war.karabakhrecords.info reports.
On April 27, 2022, pro-government Azerbaijani news agencies published articles entitled “Easter celebrated in Hadrut,” publishing new photos from the Holy Resurrection Church in the city.
Examination of the photographs clearly shows that the cross was removed from the church….
Carpets and churchware are also absent, icons have been removed from the walls, graffiti can be seen on the outer walls of the church.
