The St. Mary's Church[1] (Armenian: Ցխինվալի Սուրբ Աստվածածին եկեղեցի, Georgian: ცხინვალის ღვთისმშობლის მიძინების საკათედრო ტაძარი), also called Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin,[2] is the name given to a temple of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the center of the city of Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, an independent region de facto that Georgia claims as part of its territory.
The church was damaged during the night of August 7 to 8, 2008, in a bombing during the war between Russia and Georgia. The church is currently used by various Orthodox Christian groups in South Ossetia.
The Church of the Blessed Virgin was built in 1718. To the south, near the door, there is an inscription on a large stone. The church has a dome and was constructed using brick and stone. The masonry walls of the facade are embedded with large crosses and arches.