DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.27365#0017
/A'7RODt/C77(W
5
N.Ya. Marr was the first, at the beginning of the century, to raise the issue of the
Armenian-Chaicedonians as a speciai phenomenon in the history of the Christian
East^. Subsequent works, among which those of P.M. Muradian and A.V.
Arutiunova-Fidanian deserve specia) mention, have published new facts
supplementing our information about the politics, ideology and culture of the
Armenian-Chaicedonians^^. Today specialists have fairly clear picture of the
emergence of Chalcedonianism in Armenia and the main stages in its development.
The Armenian Church as a body did not accept the Definition of Faith made by the
Council of Chalcedon of 451 and instead adhered to Monophysitism. There were
Armenians, however, who did accept the Council's statement. Thus appeared the
Armenian-Chaicedonians who in ecclesiastical and political matters invariably
gravitated towards confessionally like-minded Byzantium and Georgia. As one might
expect, increased activity by the Armenian-Chaicedonians was directly linked, as a
rule, with increases in Byzantine and Georgian influence in Armenia. An upsurge in
the Chalcedonian movement can be seen in the 7th century and in the 10th to 11th
centuries. During these periods the Chalcedonians competed with the main
Monophysite Church on an equal footing. Judging by written sources alone there
were more than forty Armenian Chalcedonian eparchies^".
The most flourishing period for the Armenian-Chaicedonians came in the 13th
century when the Seljuk Turks were driven out of a large part of the Armenian lands
and Zakharid Armenia arose as a special state within the Kingdom of Georgia-T
Many of the rulers of Zakharid Armenia were Chalcedonians, and under their
influence large numbers of Armenians were converted to Chalcedonianism or, as they
put it then, to the "Georgian faith". Some Monophysite monasteries were handed over
the Chalcedonians, and new churches were also built. The churches were immediately
decorated with frescoes accompanied by Greek and Georgian inscriptions which be-
came a special sign that they belonged to the Chalcedonian confession. Five churches
with 13th-century Chalcedonian wall paintings have survived in Armenia. We shall
give a brief historical description of them here as they will be referred to many times
in this work.
Probably the most well-known are the wall-paintings in the church of Tigran
Honents at Ani. As recent research has shown, the church originally belonged to the
Monophysites^. it was not painted immediately after building was completed in
1215. Its frescoes appeared only after the church was handed over to the
Chalcedonians^^. At present there are two suggested dates for the paintings. In the
view of A.Ya. Kakovkin they appeared in the 1210s to early 1220s, while the frescoes
of the porch and chapel were painted in the 1220s or early 1230s, before the town
IS Marr, Ar/MMn.
See Muradian, "Cuiturai Activities", pp. 323-35; Arutiunova-Fidanian, Arwyatie-ZrAaf/tcdontty.
"0 A map of such eparchies was drawn by V.A. Arutiunova-Fidanian
-1 For Zakharid Armenia, see Oc/:crA7 pp. 602-603, 627-629; Babaian, /rto/vyc, pp. 13-50.
22 See: Muradian, "On the Confessional Orientation", pp. 36-86.
22 On this painting, see Thierry, "Tigran Honents", pp. 1-16; Kakovkin, "Paintings", pp. 106-114.
5
N.Ya. Marr was the first, at the beginning of the century, to raise the issue of the
Armenian-Chaicedonians as a speciai phenomenon in the history of the Christian
East^. Subsequent works, among which those of P.M. Muradian and A.V.
Arutiunova-Fidanian deserve specia) mention, have published new facts
supplementing our information about the politics, ideology and culture of the
Armenian-Chaicedonians^^. Today specialists have fairly clear picture of the
emergence of Chalcedonianism in Armenia and the main stages in its development.
The Armenian Church as a body did not accept the Definition of Faith made by the
Council of Chalcedon of 451 and instead adhered to Monophysitism. There were
Armenians, however, who did accept the Council's statement. Thus appeared the
Armenian-Chaicedonians who in ecclesiastical and political matters invariably
gravitated towards confessionally like-minded Byzantium and Georgia. As one might
expect, increased activity by the Armenian-Chaicedonians was directly linked, as a
rule, with increases in Byzantine and Georgian influence in Armenia. An upsurge in
the Chalcedonian movement can be seen in the 7th century and in the 10th to 11th
centuries. During these periods the Chalcedonians competed with the main
Monophysite Church on an equal footing. Judging by written sources alone there
were more than forty Armenian Chalcedonian eparchies^".
The most flourishing period for the Armenian-Chaicedonians came in the 13th
century when the Seljuk Turks were driven out of a large part of the Armenian lands
and Zakharid Armenia arose as a special state within the Kingdom of Georgia-T
Many of the rulers of Zakharid Armenia were Chalcedonians, and under their
influence large numbers of Armenians were converted to Chalcedonianism or, as they
put it then, to the "Georgian faith". Some Monophysite monasteries were handed over
the Chalcedonians, and new churches were also built. The churches were immediately
decorated with frescoes accompanied by Greek and Georgian inscriptions which be-
came a special sign that they belonged to the Chalcedonian confession. Five churches
with 13th-century Chalcedonian wall paintings have survived in Armenia. We shall
give a brief historical description of them here as they will be referred to many times
in this work.
Probably the most well-known are the wall-paintings in the church of Tigran
Honents at Ani. As recent research has shown, the church originally belonged to the
Monophysites^. it was not painted immediately after building was completed in
1215. Its frescoes appeared only after the church was handed over to the
Chalcedonians^^. At present there are two suggested dates for the paintings. In the
view of A.Ya. Kakovkin they appeared in the 1210s to early 1220s, while the frescoes
of the porch and chapel were painted in the 1220s or early 1230s, before the town
IS Marr, Ar/MMn.
See Muradian, "Cuiturai Activities", pp. 323-35; Arutiunova-Fidanian, Arwyatie-ZrAaf/tcdontty.
"0 A map of such eparchies was drawn by V.A. Arutiunova-Fidanian
-1 For Zakharid Armenia, see Oc/:crA7 pp. 602-603, 627-629; Babaian, /rto/vyc, pp. 13-50.
22 See: Muradian, "On the Confessional Orientation", pp. 36-86.
22 On this painting, see Thierry, "Tigran Honents", pp. 1-16; Kakovkin, "Paintings", pp. 106-114.