KARMIR VANK MONASTERY

Monastery of St. Stepanos or Karmir-vank (Կարմիր վանք – literally Red Monastery ) is an Armenian male monastery of the 5th or 7th century in the medieval Armenian city of Astapat (later known as Karmir-vank). The structure is “a significant monument of Armenian medieval architecture.” The Karmir-Vank culture got its name from the name of the Armenian monastery. In Soviet times, the monastery with all historical and architectural structures was included in the list of monuments of all-Union significance. It was located in Nakhichevan. In 2001, it was included by the government of Azerbaijan in the list of archaeological monuments of world importance. However, analysis of satellite imagery by Caucasus Heritage Watch shows that the monastery had been demolished by 26 August 2003, and the clearing of the area indicated recent earthworks on the site.