DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.27365#0018
6
/JVTR0DMr770JV
was sacked by the Mongols in 1236^. Muradian dates the handing over of the
church to the Chaicedonians and the painting of the frescoes to the 1250s^. It
remains an open question who was the donor (Afefor) of the paintings: he is depicted
by the entrance holding out a model of the church to St Gregory of Armenia. We
believe he was Shahanshah Zakharid who ruled Ani during the period when the
church was built. Unlike his vassal Tigran Honents, h& was a Chalcedonian and only
his decision could change the church's confession . That the Shahanshah took part in
the renovation of the church can be seen clearly from the short and unambiguous
inscription of 1251 on the east facade: "This holy church was erected in the reign of
Atabek Amirspasalar Shahanshah."
In the Kobair Monastery the wall paintings have survived in the large and small
churches which are linked by a common porch^. They were painted after the
Shahanshah's wife handed the Monophysite monastery over to the Chaicedonians.
Judging by the historical circumstances this could not have happened before the
1220s. The upper chronological limit should be regarded as 1282, when the porch of
the two churches was painted on the orders of the monk Gregory. As a study of
depictions of the donor have shown, the paintings in the small church appeared after
the death of Shahanshah, about 126122. The murals in the main church were painted
earlier, probably between 1225 and 1250, immediately after the monastery was given
to the Chalcedonian Armenians.
The Kirants Monastery is not mentioned in any historical sources, however,
indirect evidence suggests that it was founded by the Chalcedonian Avag, the son and
heir of Ivane Mkhargrdzeli. The wall paintings there can thus be dated to the 1230s
or 1240s2S.
The above-mentioned historical descriptions suggest a number of conclusions. The
donors of the paintings were rulers of Zakharid Armenia who were Chaicedonians
either by conversion or by birth. The appearance of such murals was a direct result of
the conversion of Monophysite monasteries to Chalcedonianism. In the 13th century
wall paintings were regarded as a compulsory and, one might even say, distinguishing
feature of a Chalcedonian church.
We shall examine the wall paintings of Akhtala together with these four other
monuments in this historical and cultural context.
24 Kakovkin, "On Dating", pp. 108-115.
2^ Muradian, "On the Confessionat Orientation", pp. 54, 56.
26 See Drampian, Frcskt ffo&aira; Thierry, "Kobayr", pp. 103-121; t.R. Dranipian, "On the question
of the dating and interpretation of the Kobair Frescoes", AT) 4 (1984), pp. 194-217; N. Thierry, "A
propos des peintures de ta grande egiise de Kobayr", REGC, 2 (1986), p. 223-226.
**2 See: Drampian, Tres'/a Ko&a;'ra, p. 12.
25 This dating is arguniented in detail in the unpubiished study by L.V. Nersesian, "The Kirants
Monastery: A Monument of Armenian Chaicedonian Cutture". On the murats, see Thierry, "Kiranc", pp.
194-228.
/JVTR0DMr770JV
was sacked by the Mongols in 1236^. Muradian dates the handing over of the
church to the Chaicedonians and the painting of the frescoes to the 1250s^. It
remains an open question who was the donor (Afefor) of the paintings: he is depicted
by the entrance holding out a model of the church to St Gregory of Armenia. We
believe he was Shahanshah Zakharid who ruled Ani during the period when the
church was built. Unlike his vassal Tigran Honents, h& was a Chalcedonian and only
his decision could change the church's confession . That the Shahanshah took part in
the renovation of the church can be seen clearly from the short and unambiguous
inscription of 1251 on the east facade: "This holy church was erected in the reign of
Atabek Amirspasalar Shahanshah."
In the Kobair Monastery the wall paintings have survived in the large and small
churches which are linked by a common porch^. They were painted after the
Shahanshah's wife handed the Monophysite monastery over to the Chaicedonians.
Judging by the historical circumstances this could not have happened before the
1220s. The upper chronological limit should be regarded as 1282, when the porch of
the two churches was painted on the orders of the monk Gregory. As a study of
depictions of the donor have shown, the paintings in the small church appeared after
the death of Shahanshah, about 126122. The murals in the main church were painted
earlier, probably between 1225 and 1250, immediately after the monastery was given
to the Chalcedonian Armenians.
The Kirants Monastery is not mentioned in any historical sources, however,
indirect evidence suggests that it was founded by the Chalcedonian Avag, the son and
heir of Ivane Mkhargrdzeli. The wall paintings there can thus be dated to the 1230s
or 1240s2S.
The above-mentioned historical descriptions suggest a number of conclusions. The
donors of the paintings were rulers of Zakharid Armenia who were Chaicedonians
either by conversion or by birth. The appearance of such murals was a direct result of
the conversion of Monophysite monasteries to Chalcedonianism. In the 13th century
wall paintings were regarded as a compulsory and, one might even say, distinguishing
feature of a Chalcedonian church.
We shall examine the wall paintings of Akhtala together with these four other
monuments in this historical and cultural context.
24 Kakovkin, "On Dating", pp. 108-115.
2^ Muradian, "On the Confessionat Orientation", pp. 54, 56.
26 See Drampian, Frcskt ffo&aira; Thierry, "Kobayr", pp. 103-121; t.R. Dranipian, "On the question
of the dating and interpretation of the Kobair Frescoes", AT) 4 (1984), pp. 194-217; N. Thierry, "A
propos des peintures de ta grande egiise de Kobayr", REGC, 2 (1986), p. 223-226.
**2 See: Drampian, Tres'/a Ko&a;'ra, p. 12.
25 This dating is arguniented in detail in the unpubiished study by L.V. Nersesian, "The Kirants
Monastery: A Monument of Armenian Chaicedonian Cutture". On the murats, see Thierry, "Kiranc", pp.
194-228.