DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.43337#0376
CHAPTER TWO. THE ICONOGRAPHIC PROGRAMME | 373
the turn of the 13th century and distinguished the murals of Akhtala
from contemporary Georgian wall paintings. This fits well with what
we know about the confessional stance of the Armenian-Chalcedo-
nians. Undoubtedly it formed part of the conception of the author of
the iconographic programme: while rare liturgical motifs were em-
phasised traditional systems of images were preserved, thus permit-
ting no doubts to be raised about the orthodoxy of the Chalcedonian
church in Armenia.
The choice of the holy bishops in the altar apse also reveals the
intentions of those behind the programme. In one of the most pres-
tigious locations, to the right of the synthronon in the centre of the
first tier, we find Gregory the Illuminator. Monophysite Armenians
paid exceptional reverence to the cult of this founder of the Arme-
nian national church. He was also canonised, however, by the Grae-
co-Orthodox church and is quite regularly depicted in Byzantine
iconographic programmes52. It is therefore very natural that among
the Armenian-Chalcedonians the cult of Gregory of Armenia, which
was at once both national and Orthodox, acquired particular impor-
tance53. By specially emphasising the image of St Gregory the authors
of the iconographic programme were evidently trying to emphasise
the unbroken tie between the Armenian-Chalcedonians and the na-
52 See Der Nersessian S. Les portraits
de Gregoire llluminateur dans L’art
byzantine // Der Nersessian S. Etudes
byzantines et armeniennes, t. 1. Lou-
vain, 1973, p. 55-60.
53 Cf. Muradian, Caucasian Cultural
World, p. 20.
54 We cannot rule out the possibility
that Aristakes and Vrtanes were can-
onized as local Armenian Chalcedo-
nian saints.
tional cultural tradition, and point to the initial unity of the Arme-
nian Church. This theme was still more consistently promoted in the
sanctuary frescoes of the church of Tigran Honents in Ani dedicated
to Gregory the Illuminator. Not only St Gregory appears there among
the holy bishops but also his two sons, Aristakes and Vrtanes, who
successively replaced their father on the episcopal throne of Arme-
nia. We should note that Aristakes and Vrtanes were canonised by
the Armenian Monophysite church but were not numbered among
the saints by the Greek or Georgian church-
es54. Their appearance in the Tigran Honents
church must have been intended as a visual
assertion of the ancient national traditions of
the Armenian-Chalcedonian church which
were cast in doubt by the Monophysites.
The presence of other comparatively rare
figures depicted in the holy bishops’ tier may
also be attributed to the influence of the Arme-
the turn of the 13th century and distinguished the murals of Akhtala
from contemporary Georgian wall paintings. This fits well with what
we know about the confessional stance of the Armenian-Chalcedo-
nians. Undoubtedly it formed part of the conception of the author of
the iconographic programme: while rare liturgical motifs were em-
phasised traditional systems of images were preserved, thus permit-
ting no doubts to be raised about the orthodoxy of the Chalcedonian
church in Armenia.
The choice of the holy bishops in the altar apse also reveals the
intentions of those behind the programme. In one of the most pres-
tigious locations, to the right of the synthronon in the centre of the
first tier, we find Gregory the Illuminator. Monophysite Armenians
paid exceptional reverence to the cult of this founder of the Arme-
nian national church. He was also canonised, however, by the Grae-
co-Orthodox church and is quite regularly depicted in Byzantine
iconographic programmes52. It is therefore very natural that among
the Armenian-Chalcedonians the cult of Gregory of Armenia, which
was at once both national and Orthodox, acquired particular impor-
tance53. By specially emphasising the image of St Gregory the authors
of the iconographic programme were evidently trying to emphasise
the unbroken tie between the Armenian-Chalcedonians and the na-
52 See Der Nersessian S. Les portraits
de Gregoire llluminateur dans L’art
byzantine // Der Nersessian S. Etudes
byzantines et armeniennes, t. 1. Lou-
vain, 1973, p. 55-60.
53 Cf. Muradian, Caucasian Cultural
World, p. 20.
54 We cannot rule out the possibility
that Aristakes and Vrtanes were can-
onized as local Armenian Chalcedo-
nian saints.
tional cultural tradition, and point to the initial unity of the Arme-
nian Church. This theme was still more consistently promoted in the
sanctuary frescoes of the church of Tigran Honents in Ani dedicated
to Gregory the Illuminator. Not only St Gregory appears there among
the holy bishops but also his two sons, Aristakes and Vrtanes, who
successively replaced their father on the episcopal throne of Arme-
nia. We should note that Aristakes and Vrtanes were canonised by
the Armenian Monophysite church but were not numbered among
the saints by the Greek or Georgian church-
es54. Their appearance in the Tigran Honents
church must have been intended as a visual
assertion of the ancient national traditions of
the Armenian-Chalcedonian church which
were cast in doubt by the Monophysites.
The presence of other comparatively rare
figures depicted in the holy bishops’ tier may
also be attributed to the influence of the Arme-