Pargev Martirosyan was in Karabakh throughout the war with Azerbaijan , which ended in 1994 . The Armenian forces marked their first major victory on 8 – 9 May 1992 , when they took over Shusha , the historic center of the region . Archbishop Pargev blessed the Armenian soldiers before the start of the operation . On the morning of 9 May 1992 Archbishop Pargev with a number of Armenians soldiers entered the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shusha , where they prayed for the fallen soldiers . It was the first time since the 1920 Shusha massacre that a prayer was heard at the cathedral . Soon after the city was captured , restoration work began at Ghazanchetsots , which was used as an arsenal by the Azerbaijanis
Shusha massacre
Shusha massacre
Pargev Martirosyan