The Old Caucasian Albanian Church and Calut Monastery: A Timeless Treasure in Azerbaijan

Dr. Javanshir Gadimov

Old Calut monastery is one of the historical places located in the Oghuz district of Azerbaijan. This monastery is located in Calut village of Oghuz. It belongs to the Caucasian Albanian Apostolic church and Albanian people (or now to Udi, descendants of the Caucasian Albanians) living in this region.

Old Caucasian Albanian church and Calut monastery in the Oghuz district of Azerbaijan

Calut monastery and church located in Calut village (also, Calud and Dzhalut), is a few kilometers away from the Sheki-Oghuz highway. Calut monastery is at the foot of the mountain (southern part of the Caucasian mountain) after the village. Half of the way to the monastery you can go in a car, the rest you have to go on foot. Wasn’t easy to go close to the church because of the fences and gardens.

Once I got to the place, the first thing I could see was the big church building in the area. When I got closer I saw another building covered with some trees. This is the ruins of another and even older church. Now completely ruined and collapsed. 

Read more: Ancient Seven Churches Monastery Complex in Qakh district of Azerbaijan

According to a news article in the local newspaper “525. Qezet”, this Albanian church was built in the V-VI centuries. The other sources say that the church (the one now completely ruined) was built in 1411 and the big one with a big hall and almost in good shape was built in 1811. Still, the exact dates are not known and the signboard on the entrance of the monastery says the dates of construction are not known.

Aside from the two church buildings you can see ruins and stone piles belonging to other buildings of the monastery. You can also see a few big gravestones. They must have belonged to priests who built this place and leaders of Albanian churches. 

With a small research, I was able to find what this place looked like in 1985 and at the end of the 19th century. 

In the picture below you can see what the smaller church building looked like in 1985. You can see the front wall, the door, and some other parts still standing. But not the roof. 

The old church building in Calut Monastery. Photos from 1985. Source: Oghuz Historical

Now, this old church building is completely collapsed. You can see what it looks like now.

What's left of the old church. July 2022

Another historical picture from the Georgian National Museum shows what the place looked like at the end of the 19th century. At that time the place was still functioning as a monastery and a church. Now you can look at yourself and compare the place after almost 2 centuries. 

Calut monastery at the end of the 19th century.

And this is what this place looks like now in 2022.