Tsitsernavank Monastery, Early Christian monastery in Lachin District, Azerbaijan
Tsitsernavank is a three-nave Armenian basilica with a single horseshoe-shaped apse set into a rectangular outer wall, its central nave only slightly taller than the side aisles. Two rows of stone pillars and arches separate the naves, and two corbels project from the facade on either side of the roofline. It stands on the right bank of the Əhmədli (Aghoghlan) river at the northwestern edge of the village of Qusulu, with a medieval Armenian cemetery to its north.
The monastery was founded in the 5th century and underwent three construction phases, including the addition of a windowless apse. Timber arcades were later replaced with more permanent structural elements.
The name Tsitsernavank comes from the Armenian word "tsitsern," meaning little finger, which refers to relics of Saint George once kept within the church. This naming reflects a deep connection between the building and local religious devotion.
The monastery stands on the northwestern edge of the village of Gusulu, on the right bank of the Ahmedli (Aghoghlan) river, about 5 km from the Armenian border. A medieval Armenian cemetery lies to its north. The site is reached by road through Lachin District; the church was restored and reconsecrated in 2001.
A large cross-shaped stone called Agravakhach stands by the church's west wall; tradition says a crow is buried beneath it after it plunged into a cooking pot and saved more than two hundred people from a poisoned snake. Women whose children had not yet learned to walk bathed them over this stone.
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