DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.26747#1036
972
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE.
Book X.
consequently onglit to be at the four angles of a square, or
rectangle of some sort, but this is far from being the case. The
principal of these churches is that whose plan
is representecl in woodcut No. 810. It stands
in the centre of a large square, surrounded
by ecclesiastical buildings, and is on the
whole rather an imposing edifice. Its porch
is modern: so also, comparatively speaking,
is its dome; but the plan, if not the greater
part of the substructure, is ancient, and ex-
hibits the plainness and simplicity charac-
teristic of its age. The other three churches
lay claim to as remote a date of foundation as
this, but all have been so altered in modern
times that they have now no title to anti-
quity.
One other church in this part of the world seems to claim especial
mention, that of Mokwi, built in the 10th century, and painted, as we
learn from inscriptions, between 1080 and 1125. It is a large and
handsome church, but its principal interest lies
in the fact that in dimensions and arrangement
it is almost identical with the contemporaneous
church of St. Sophia at Novogorod, showing a
connexion between the two countries which
will be rnore particularly pointed out hereafter.
It is now very much ruined, and covered with
a veil of creepers which prevent its outward
form from being easily distinguished.
Besides these a number of churches are men-
tioned by travellers as belonging to the period
that elapsed between Justinian and the 10th century, but in the
absence of drawings they are useless for our purpose, and an enume-
ration of their hard and unfamiliar names would interest no one. From
this we pass at once to the 11th century, when what we have called
the Armenian style appears in tolerable completeness, and continued
to prevail without much change for two or three centuries.
The principal seat of this style is Ani, or at least that is the city
which has been oftenest visited and described, and has become tliere-
fore to us at least the metropolis of the art.
The oldest and most important building in this city is the cathe-
dral, which, if we may trust the inscription on its face, was built in
the year 1010. The small church near the river was about a century
later, and that atDighour near Ani dates from 1240. Comparing these
buildings by the rules by which we judge of the- age of architectural
remains in Europe, we should exactly reverse the order of the series,
that at Dighour having nothing but heavy round or horse-shoe arches,
with columns of pseudo-classical forms. The cathedral at Ani, on the
other liand, has pointed arches, coupled columns, and has every ap-
811. lJlan of Churcli at Mokwi.
Scale 100 ft. to 1 in.
810. Plan of Church at Etch-
miasdin. From Brosset.
Scale 100 ft. to 1 in.
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE.
Book X.
consequently onglit to be at the four angles of a square, or
rectangle of some sort, but this is far from being the case. The
principal of these churches is that whose plan
is representecl in woodcut No. 810. It stands
in the centre of a large square, surrounded
by ecclesiastical buildings, and is on the
whole rather an imposing edifice. Its porch
is modern: so also, comparatively speaking,
is its dome; but the plan, if not the greater
part of the substructure, is ancient, and ex-
hibits the plainness and simplicity charac-
teristic of its age. The other three churches
lay claim to as remote a date of foundation as
this, but all have been so altered in modern
times that they have now no title to anti-
quity.
One other church in this part of the world seems to claim especial
mention, that of Mokwi, built in the 10th century, and painted, as we
learn from inscriptions, between 1080 and 1125. It is a large and
handsome church, but its principal interest lies
in the fact that in dimensions and arrangement
it is almost identical with the contemporaneous
church of St. Sophia at Novogorod, showing a
connexion between the two countries which
will be rnore particularly pointed out hereafter.
It is now very much ruined, and covered with
a veil of creepers which prevent its outward
form from being easily distinguished.
Besides these a number of churches are men-
tioned by travellers as belonging to the period
that elapsed between Justinian and the 10th century, but in the
absence of drawings they are useless for our purpose, and an enume-
ration of their hard and unfamiliar names would interest no one. From
this we pass at once to the 11th century, when what we have called
the Armenian style appears in tolerable completeness, and continued
to prevail without much change for two or three centuries.
The principal seat of this style is Ani, or at least that is the city
which has been oftenest visited and described, and has become tliere-
fore to us at least the metropolis of the art.
The oldest and most important building in this city is the cathe-
dral, which, if we may trust the inscription on its face, was built in
the year 1010. The small church near the river was about a century
later, and that atDighour near Ani dates from 1240. Comparing these
buildings by the rules by which we judge of the- age of architectural
remains in Europe, we should exactly reverse the order of the series,
that at Dighour having nothing but heavy round or horse-shoe arches,
with columns of pseudo-classical forms. The cathedral at Ani, on the
other liand, has pointed arches, coupled columns, and has every ap-
811. lJlan of Churcli at Mokwi.
Scale 100 ft. to 1 in.
810. Plan of Church at Etch-
miasdin. From Brosset.
Scale 100 ft. to 1 in.