| Khtzkonk monastery | |
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Khtzkonk in the early twentieth century |
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Shown within Turkey
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| Basic information | |
| Location | near Digor, Digor district, Kars Province, Turkey |
| Geographic coordinates | |
| Affiliation | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Monastery |
| Status | destroyed by Turkish Army in 1966 |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural style | Armenian |
| Groundbreaking | 7th century |
| Completed | 13th century |
Khtzkonk Monastery was a monastic ensemble of five Armenian churches built between the 7th and 13 centuries in what was then Armenia, now near the town of Digor, the administrative capital of the Digor district of the Kars Province in Turkey (about 19 kilometers west of the Armenian border). The monastery is located in the gorge formed by the Digor River.
The monastery was completely destroyed by the Turkish Army in 1966, except for the Church of Saint Sargis which is partially destroyed.
However, no-one yet has clearly explained why such a policy of only partial destruction should have been followed, were it government or army policy. It is equally unclear as to why the surviving chapel should be by far the architecturally most interesting and original, were the policy one of 'cultural genocide' through the systematic destruction of significant monuments, as is often claimed for Turkish policy.
Nor has it been clarified how much of these buildings were of late 19th century construction, or reconstruction, completed during the forty-year period of Russian administration of this area.