Destroyed Old Jugha cross-stones copied in Armenia

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. On the initiative of individual cross-stone masters the cross-stones destroyed in Old Jugha are being copied in Armenia. As reports "Armenpress" Honored Culture Worker of the Republic of Armenia, armenologist, and expert on Nakhijevan Argam Ayvazyan stated this during the press conference held on March 14. Among other things Argam Ayvazyan noted that art of cross-stones is developing in Armenia, notwithstanding the new cross-stones have quite different ornaments, and the styles of the past were not preserved. Ayvazyan highlighted: "The art of cross-stones has not been studied properly, and there few scientific works dedicated to that topic. Presently cross-stone masters copy the Old Jugha cross-stones using the ornaments that have already been explored." 30-40 cross-stones have already been copied.

The last case of the Armenian cross-stones destruction has been recorded in 200-2006, when tens of Azeri soldiers armed with huge hammers and machines were destroying Armenian cross-stones in Old Jugha cemetery. They were destroyed and removed to make room for construction of a shooting ground. More than 27,000 cross-stones and Armenian monuments have been destroyed in Nakhijevan since 1998.