Lidov, Aleksej M.: The mural paintings of Akhtala (Moscow, 1991)

ARM5 OF 77/F DOMFD CFO.S'.S'

75

hypothesis that the Bachkovo monastery was an Armenian-Chalcedonian
foundations^.
Scholars have long noted that Gregory Pakurian, who founded the "Georgian
monastery" in 1083, signed its tipikon or statute in "Armenian letters". Anna Comnena
considered Gregory to be an Armenian. Most important of all, however, is the
unambiguous evidence in the surviving Greek edition that there was an Armenian
version of the statute: "The tipikon has been written in the Greek, Georgian and
Armenian languages because the monks of this monastery are fvirians and do not
know the Greek language. It is therefore essential that this statute be laid down in the
Georgian and Armenian languages"'50, The readers of the Armenian version of the
statute could only be the Armenian-Chalcedonians among the monks since the term
"Ivirians" was a confessional distinction^'.
Iconographic evidence confirms the observation of historians. It is quite likely that
this composition depicting three saints who aided the drawing together of the Greek
and Georgian churches which only exists in the murals of Akhtala and Bachkovo
arose in Armenian-Chalcedonian environment. Its purpose was to emphasise the idea
of the unity of all the Chalcedonian churches, which was very important for the
ideology of this ethno-confessional group.
By setting apart the.' E rs of the iconographic
programme in Akhtala E-_ e Georgian monastic


Arutiunova-Fidanian, "Gre

It is interesting that E*^-
sometimes been monks
survived on one of the E-
Syria: "this is an Arm E-r
century frescoes of the E_

Fidanian, Yerevan, 1978, p
' 5' On the word "ivir" = ^

schotars disagree with this —
Georgian monastery in Bui E-

68-75. E
1-52 Adonts, "Origins", E"
gee J. Mecerian; =—


causes. In the 13th cef
Catholicos and liberate! E

Monastery", Mart* and i.rsMf —

Muradian, "On Greek an; ^

150 See 77p;'kon of Gr

149 First proposed by F


an, y4ro!yane-A7:a7kedoni7y, pp.

ternary by V.A. Arutiunova-

vas treated in detail in: P.M.
t's Tipikon", TVAtcrt'ca? and
103-19 (in Armenian); V.A.
founding of the Petritsion
94 (in Armenian). Georgian
rfyr v Fo/gard ego dftik (The

at ion of the Armcnian-
rfessional and political
dinate to the Georgian
[the Georgian kingdom.
[an-Chalcedonians had
[pressive inscription has
!of the Black Mount in
priptions on the 10th-
i testify that Armenian-

c

e occidental", Afe/anger de

FUdd'errde Aadd do.te/td. t. ) —-

o