Publication Details:

Caucasus Heritage and Identity Studies (CHIS) is an international, peer-reviewed open-access journal devoted to the historical, cultural, linguistic, religious, and social heritage of the Caucasus and the adjacent regions from antiquity to the present day

Journal or Publication Title:

Caucasus Heritage and Identity Studies: International Journal of the History, Culture, and Civilization of the Caucasus

Date of publication:

2026-

Volume:

1

Number:

1

ISSN:

3045-3291 ; e3045-3232

Official URL:

Corporate Creators:

International Association for Caucasus Heritage and Identity Studies

Contributor(s):

Editor-in-Chief: Gor Margaryan

Coverage:

86-105

Abstract:

Taking as a case study Andrey V. Nikonorov’s paper ‘Monasteries, Sketes, and Monastic Traditions of the Ganjasar Catholicosate Leading up to the 17th Century’ (in Russian), this article examines the techniques by which the Armenian ecclesiastical heritage of the South Caucasus is reattributed in recent historiography to a purported ‘Caucasian Albanian’ tradition. Drawing on medieval sources and scholarly works, Nikonorov seeks to reconstruct the history of the emergence and development of the monasteries that were under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Gandzasar Catholicosate in the South Caucasus, particularly in the territory of Artsakh (Karabakh). The study places particular emphasis on ecclesiastical activity, monastic life, liturgical practices, internal regulations and other aspects of monastic tradition in the region. The subject is both significant and comprehensive, and the issues raised in the article are of considerable scholarly interest. At the same time, Nikonorov’s study contains a number of methodological approaches that raise questions regarding its scholarly impartiality. In particular, although the author relies predominantly on Armenian primary sources and the works of Armenian scholars, he consistently avoids identifying their ethnic affiliation. Furthermore, the Gandzasar Catholicosate, which historically formed part of the Armenian Apostolic Church, is presented as an exclusively Albanian ecclesiastical institution. Not only the monasteries and churches of Artsakh, but also those located within the present-day Republic of Armenia, the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic and modern-day Turkey, together with the clergy who served there, are described as belonging to the Albanian Church. In several instances, when quoting or referring to historical sources, Nikonorov omits the words Armenian and Armenia from the cited passages. The analysis is organised as a typology of four techniques of source manipulation: omission of ethnonyms, selective quotation, substitution of names and toponyms, and reattribution of authors and institutions. By addressing these and other issues, the present article seeks to provide a more comprehensive, evidence-based and objective reconstruction of the historical realities of the period under consideration.

Publisher:

International Association for Caucasus Heritage and Identity Studies

Format:

pdf

Identifier:

click here to follow the link ; oai:arar.sci.am:440347

Language:

en

Location of original object:

ՀՀ ԳԱԱ Հիմնարար գիտական գրադարան