During the years of Soviet rule, restrictions imposed on the Church also extended to Artsakh. In the 1920s and 1930s, numerous churches were closed, while spiritual life was subjected to strict control.

Some of the closed church buildings were repurposed for secular uses as clubs, cultural centers, warehouses, or other public spaces. Publications in the newspaper “Anastvats” (“Godless”) show that the process of closing churches also included settlements in Artsakh.

As a result of this policy, many churches in Artsakh were deprived of their spiritual and communal significance. At the same time, the surviving traces of these ecclesiastical structures continue to serve as important evidence of Artsakh’s Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage.