Three Saints Church (Shaki)
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Orphan|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox religious building
|name=Three Saints Church
|native_name={{langx|az|Üçmüqəddəs kilsəsi}}
{{langx|ru|link=no|Нухинская трехсвятительская церковь}}
|religious_affiliation=Russian Orthodox Church (formerly)
|image=Round_temple.JPG
|caption=
|map_type=Azerbaijan
|map_size=275
|location= Shaki, Azerbaijan
|geo={{coord|41.204444|47.198333|display=inline,title}}
|year_completed=19th century
}}
Nukha Three Saints Church ({{langx|az|Üçmüqəddəs kilsəsi}}; {{langx|ru|Нухинская трехсвятительская церковь|translit=Nukhinskaya trekhsvyatitel'skaya tserkov'}}),{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BMw7AQAAMAAJ|title=Strannik|last=|first=|date=1861|work=The spiritual scientific literary journal|publisher=|isbn=|volume=3|location=Saint Petersburg|pages=22|language=ru}} Nukha Holy Church ({{Langx|ru|Нухинская Святительская церковь|translit=Nukhinskaya Svyatitel'skaya tserkov'}}){{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LM07AQAAMAAJ&q=%D0%9D%D1%83%D1%85%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B9+%D0%A1%D0%B2%D1%8F%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B9+%D1%86%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B2%D0%B8|title=Церковныя вѣдомости|last=|first=|date=1905|work=Church Statements|publisher=Russian Orthodox Church|isbn=|volume=18|location=|pages=175|language=ru}} or Round Temple ({{Langx|az|Dairəvi məbəd}}){{Cite web|url=http://www.e-qanun.az/framework/2847|title=132 - Azərbaycan Respublikası ərazisində dövlət mühafizəsinə götürülmüş daşınmaz tarix və mədəniyyət abidələrinin əhəmiyyət dərəcələrinə görə bölgüsünün təsdiq edilməsi haqqında|website=www.e-qanun.az|language=az|access-date=23 April 2019}} is a former Russian Orthodox church building located in Shaki, Azerbaijan near Khan's Palace, named after the Cappadocian Fathers.
History
File:Nuxa_qalası,_plan,_1853.jpg
The history of the church's foundation is ambiguous, which has led some researchers to identify the building as a Caucasian Albanian church,{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/69682833|title=Zodchestvo Kavkazskoĭ Albanii|last=Mamedova, Gi︠u︡lʹchokhra.|date=2004|publisher=Çaşioğlu|isbn=9952270216|edition=Dop. i perer. izd|location=Baku|pages=42–43|oclc=69682833}} a former mosque{{Cite web|url=https://vivaldi.dspl.ru/bx0002990/view#page=19|title=Елизаветпольская губерния впечатления и воспоминания : (из журнала "Кавказский вестник" за 1902 г.) – Донская Государственная Публичная Библиотека – Vivaldi|last=Segal|first=Iosif Leontievich|date=1902|website=vivaldi.dspl.ru|language=ru|trans-title=Elizavetpol province impressions and memories|access-date=23 April 2019}} and a chapel for the Imperial Russian garrison. The church's presence was not mentioned prior to 1853, when a priest known as Yevstafiy was appointed to serve in the church.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j7JKAAAAcAAJ&q=%D0%BD%D1%83%D1%85%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B9++%D1%86%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B2%D0%B8&pg=PA149|title=Žurnal Ministerstva Narodnago Prosveščenija: 1853,11|last=Prosveščenija|first=Rossija Ministerstvo Narodnogo|date=1853|publisher=|isbn=|location=|pages=149|language=ru}} Another priest, Gavriil Pechenskiy, served in Nukha c. 1894–1896.{{Cite book|url=http://crimea-eparhia.ru/pdf/toplovskiy.pdf|title=Album: "Declassified. Abode of St. Paraskev. From the series Monasteries of Crimea »|last=Valyakin|first=Andrey|publisher=General Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea|year=2011|isbn=|location=|pages=160|language=ru}} Georgian priest David Utiyev, a missionary to the local Muslim Ingiloy population of Tasmalı{{Cite book|url=http://www.aak.gov.az/avtoref_to_mudaf/pdf_to_mudaf/tar/tar_n_aih_26_11_14.pdf|title=THE RELIGIOUS POLICY OF TSARIST RUSSIA IN THE NORTH-WEST AZERBAIJAN AND INGILOYS (XIX century)|last=Aliyeva|first=Irada|publisher=Turxan|year=2014|isbn=|location=Baku|pages=22}} in 1875 was also based in the Three Saints Church. His grave is inside the yard of church.
= Former mosque claim =
A claim of the church being converted from a mosque was mentioned by the Russian traveller Joseph Segal in 1902 and Azerbaijani writer Rashid beg Afandizadeh in 1925.{{Cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/a/ipekchi.biz/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxzaGVraXRhcml4aXxneDo1NTljM2E3Y2ZmNDVhMTQ3|title=Nuxa qəzasındakı asarü-ətiqələr haqqında|last=Rashid|first=Afandizadeh|date=1925|website=docs.google.com|trans-title=On the ancient monuments of Nukha|access-date=23 April 2019}} However, according to a report{{Cite web|url=http://shekitarixi.tqtt.info/101|title=Nuxa qalasının vəziyyəti barədə mayor Lisaneviçin 1819-cu ildə tərtib etdiyi akt: - www.shekitarixi.tqtt.info|website=shekitarixi.tqtt.info|access-date=23 April 2019}} by a Russian officer stationed in the city, it was the khan's{{specify|date=August 2024}} home-mosque converted to chapel.
Graveyard
The church graveyard houses at least three tombstones belonging to Imperial Russia
Current use
The church is currently functioning as the local Museum of Folk and Applied Arts. It is listed as country-level important monument in the Ministry of Culture database.{{Cite web|url=http://mes.mctgov.az/az/160/monument/397/Dairevi-mebed|title=Mədəniyyət sahəsində elektron məlumat sistemi|website=mes.mctgov.az|access-date=23 April 2019}}
Gallery
File:Grave on the yard of the Round temple in Shaki 5.JPG|Grave with Armenian inscriptions
File:Grave on the yard of the Round temple in Shaki 4.JPG|Grave with Georgian inscriptions
File:Grave on the yard of the Round temple in Shaki (Azerbaijan).JPG|Tombstone of David Utiyev
File:Round temple grave.JPG|Grave decoration
References
{{Reflist}}