Treasures from the Ark 1700 Years of Armenian Christian Art

244 Pages·2001·117.96 MB·English

by  Vreg Nersessian

TREASURES
FROM THE ARK
1700 YEARS OF ARMENIAN CHRISTIAN ART
Armenia was the first country to recognize
Christianity as the official state religion in
301 AD, twelve years before Constantine's
decree granting tolerance to Christianity
within the Roman Empire. Ever since,
Armenia has claimed the privilege of being
the first Christian nation, and the wealth of
Christian art produced in Armenia since then
is testimony to the fundamental importance
of the Christian faith to the Armenian people.
This extensive new survey of Armenian
Christian art, published to accompany a major
exhibition at The British Library, celebrates
the Christian art tradition in Armenia durin g
the last* 1700 years. The extraordinary quality
and range of Armenian art which is documented
includes sculpture, metalwork, textiles,
ceramics, wood carvings and illuminated
manuscripts and has been drawn together
from collections throughout the world - many
of the examples have never before been seen
outside Armenia.
In his authoritative text, Dr Vrej Nersessian,
Curator at The British Library, charts the
development of Christianity in Armenia. This
fascinating history is essential to an under­
standing of the art and religious traditio n
of Armenia, a country in which the sense
of the sacred extends well beyond the purely
religious, infiltrating the entire fabric of
Armenian affairs to create a fascinating culture.
This sumptuously illustrated book will be
of immense value to anyone with an interest
in Byzantine art and culture, the history of
Christianity and the history of Armenia
and the Middle Orient.
TREASURES
FROM THE ARK

T R E A S U R ES
FROM THE ARK
1700 YEARS OF ARMENIAN
CHRISTIAN ART
Vrej Nersessian
THE J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM
LOS ANGELES
PUBLISHED ON THE OCCASIO N OF THE EXHIBITION
'TREASURES FROM THE ARK:
1700 YEARS OF ARMENIAN CHRISTIAN ART'
AT THE BRITISH LIBRARY,
2 MARCH - 28 MAY 2001
The British Library wishes to thank Vatche and Tamar Manoukian
and The Manoukian Charitable Foundation for their generous
support in funding this exhibition.
© 2001 The British Library Board
First published in 2001 by
The British Library
96 Huston Road
London NW1 2DB
Published in the United States of America
by the J. Paul Getty Museum,
1200 Getty Center Drive,
Los Angeles, California
90049-1687
All rights reserved
ISBN 0-89236-639-7
Designed by Andrew Shoolbred
Typeset by Norman Tilley
Maps by John Mitchell
Printed in Hong Kong by
South Sea International Press
Frontispiece:
Armenian Gold Pyx, 1687. (Cat. 34)
Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon
C O N T E N TS
Message from His Holiness Garegin II 6
Message from the Archbishop of Canterbury 8
Acknowledgements 9
Introduction by Professor Robin Cormack 11
Chapter One The Conversion of Armenia to Christianity 14
The Land 14
The Spread of Christianity in Armenia 1 7
The Date of Armenia's Conversion to Christianity 18
Apostolicity and Christian Missions 23
Monasticism and the Role of the Armenian Monasteries in
Armenian Christianity 28
Chapter Two The Christological Position of the Armenian Church 35
The Council of Chalcedon 36
The Armenian Church and the Council of Chalcedon 37
Chapter Three The Armenian Church within Christendom 43
Armenian-Byzantine Church Relations 43
Armenian- Byzantine Church Relations at the Time of the Armenian
Cilician Kingdom 48
The Armenian Church and the Papacy at the Time of the Armenian
Cilician Kingdom 51
The Armenian Church in Contemporary Times 57
Chapter Four Sacred Art in Theology and Worship 65
The Holy Scriptures 65
The Theology of Armenian Christian Art 68
Portraits 77
The Canon Tables: Theology of Colour and Ornamentation 79
The Nature of Image Veneration in Armenia 82
Notes 89
Catalogue 99
Sculpture 100
Metalworks 114
Textiles 129
Carved Wood 139
Ceramics 144
Firmans 153
Manuscripts 155
Bibliography 228
Exhibition Catalogues 234
Lenders to the Exhibition 235
Index 236
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MESSAGE FROM HIS HOLINESS GAREGIN II
The exhibition on the Christian Art of Armenia at the British Library, on the occasion of the
1700th anniversary of the declaration of Christianity as the state religion of Armenia, is an
expression of Christian unity among our peoples and serves to foster mutual recognition
and love as well as Christian brotherhood among peoples.
The Armenian nation in the homeland and in the diaspora steps into the third millennium
by celebrating this defining moment of its history. In 301 the Armenian people accepted
Christianity as their state religion and on the eve of the battle of Vardanank in 451,Vardan
Mamikonian tells his soldiers: 'Let those who thought Christianity was a mere garment for
us now realize that they can no more tear it off than tear off the colour of our skin'. The life-
giving light of the Gospel, which was brought to Armenia by the apostles, brightened the
slopes of our sacred Mount Ararat when the father of our faith, and first Catholicos, Gregory
the Illuminator, with King Trdat III raised the sign of the victorious cross together with the
flag of the nation. The soul of the Armenian people was renewed with the values of hope,
faith, truth in love, justice and freedom, and a rich and unique Christian Armenian culture
was born and was nurtured through the centuries.
The language of culture needs no translation, because through pictures and sculptures, colour
and music, an unmitigated dialogue between peoples is assured. The British Library has many
years of experience which can ensure the fruitfulness of that dialogue. As Catholicos of All
Armenians, we are immensely happy that through the generous sponsorship of the faithful
children of our Church, the London Armenian benefactors Mr and Mrs Vatche and Tamar
Manoukian, this exhibition of Armenian sacred art is being held at this renowned institution,
where numerous civilizations and cultures meet. This exhibition, which is dedicated to the
1700th anniversary of the declaration of Christianity as the state religion of Armenia, is an
invaluable gift to the Armenian Church and a worthy expression of respect toward s
Armenian culture and history.
We send our greetings and appreciation from the Holy See of Ejmiadsin to Revd Vrej Nerses
Nersessian, curator of the exhibition, and his colleagues in The British Library for organizing
this event, and seek the blessing of Our Lord for the success of the mission of the exhibition,
so that the prayers which have sprung out of the Armenian soul and assumed material forms
can be conveyed to the numerous visitors with messages of faith and life, and that the voices
of all people unite in a plea to our Creator for world peace, prosperity and for a brighter
future for all humankind.
Blessings
Garegin II
Catholicos of All Armenians
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MESSAGE FRO M
THE A R C H B I S H OP OF C A N T E R B U RY
The 1700th anniversary of Armenian Christianity is a There has been much suffering in Armenian history, and
notable milestone in the history of the Christian Church. martyrdom has been a note of the Armenian Church. The
Beneath the cathedral in Holy Ejmiadsin, the mother church Church of England in the nineteenth and early twentieth
of Armenian Christians, lie the remains of a small stone century was particularly concerned with the suffering of
church which may well date back to the earliest years of the the Armenian people, and it is said that almost the last words
church in Armenia when, according to tradition, St Gregory of Mr Gladstone, the great Victorian statesman and church-
the Illuminator, following years of imprisonment and suf- man, were 'Those poor Armenians/ In the last century one
fering, converted King Tiridates in 301. Ever since, Armenia of the consequences of that suffering has been a growing
has claimed the privilege of being the first Christian nation. Armenian diaspora, which has meant that some of the treas-
The heritage of Armenian Christianity is a noble one. ures of Armenian Christianity have been made known to
The stone of the high Armenian plateau enabled churches to and shared with Christians in many parts of the world.
be built that have a striking and austere simplicity. Their This new century brings major challenges and opportu-
characteristic pointed domes, like the pointed monastic cowls nities to Armenian Christians. Because they will build on the
of the Armenian clergy, are a hallmark of the Armenian rich heritage of 1700 years of practising the faith, often in
Church. But besides the architecture there are rich situations of persecution and martyrdom, I have no doubt
traditions of illuminated biblical and liturgical manuscripts, that the challenges will be met and the opportunities seized.
of textiles, church vestments and music. This important All of us can learn from the long witness of the Armenian
exhibition provides an opportunity to experience some- Church, and it is my prayer that this exhibition will enable
thing of this Armenian Christian heritage. us to do that, and find a source of renewal for our own faith,
As one member of the family of Oriental Orthodox as well as kindling new interest in the Christian traditions of
churches, together with the ancient churches of Syria, this oldest of Christian nations.
Egypt, Ethiopia and the Malabar coast in India, Armenian
Christianity has maintained a distinctive understanding of
Christ with an emphasis on the Christology of St Cyril of
Alexandria. Separated for many centuries from the majority
of Christians in the East and West who accepted the teaching
of the Council of Chalcedon in 451, in recent years there has
been a growing closeness between the Oriental Orthodox
family and other Christians, and within that closeness
between Armenians and Anglicans. I welcome the progress Dr George Carey
that has been made on the journey to Christian unity. Archbishop of Canterbury
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