Informace o publikaci
The cross on the gorge: a sacralization of the landscape in thirteenth-century Armenia?
| Autoři | |
|---|---|
| Rok publikování | 2023 |
| Druh | Další prezentace na konferencích |
| Fakulta / Pracoviště MU | |
| Citace | |
| Popis | The paper addresses the monastery of Hovhannavank’ in the Aragatsotn province of Armenia as the main topic. The building is located on the western edge of the K’asakh river’s gorge, on a plateau which extends from the slopes of Mount Aragats southward. Specifically, the presentation will aim to understand the possible meanings of the decorative reliefs of the Samtavisi-type composition with the cross, located on the eastern and southern sides of the church of St. John the Baptist, built between 1215 and 1221 under the patronage of Vatché Vachutian. The origin, style, and visibility of the crosses will be contextualized in the historical moment in which the area experienced a struggle of power between Armenia, Georgia, and external inputs – such as the Seljuks and later the Mongols – and had seen the Mkhargrdzeli-Zakarian family act as an intermediary. Therefore, the historical instances of the rise to power of the Vachutian family, patrons of the monastery and valiant defenders of the area under the Zakarians, will be also taken into account. The paper will also consider the monastery of Saghmosavank’ which is located roughly five kilometres from Hovhannavank’, as it was built under the same patronage around the same time and had, possibly, a visible cross on the dome. Moreover, the study will be conducted in light of the location of the monasteries, starting from the recent studies of the archaeologist Kathryn Franklin, who theorized that they were built following a different logic of approach and encounter than those of the travellers on the silk road and thus, were perhaps meant to return a different gaze. Therefore, the research wants to concentrate on the visibility of the monasteries and the crosses on the plateau and the relationship with the surrounding landscape. In particular, it will try to understand their role in the sacralization of the landscape, in relation to the political panorama of the 13th century. |
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