Following the occupation of Kalbajar district, "restoration" work was also launched at the Khudavang monastery, Sabina Hajiyeva, Head of the State Service for Protection, Development and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, told APA.
According to her, the "restoration" work was carried out between 1997 and 2011 with funding from the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Apostolic Church.
"Starting in 2014, the unique frescoes of the monastery were also subjected to 'restoration.' When the occupying forces left Kalbajar district, they looted the Khudavang monastery complex, taking crosses, bells, and other elements belonging to the complex to the Republic of Armenia. The frescoes were also cut from the walls and stolen, and were later displayed at various exhibitions abroad as 'works of art of Armenia.' In this regard, on October 9, 2025, information about the frescoes and khachkars (cross-stones) dismantled from the Khudavang monastery and illegally removed from the country was entered into Interpol's Stolen Works of Art Database. This provides for international law enforcement mechanisms aimed at returning these artifacts to the Republic of Azerbaijan if they are discovered on the territory of an Interpol member state," the head of the State Service emphasized.
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