DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.43337#0444
CHAPTERTWO.THE ICONOGRAPHIC PROGRAMME | 441
graphic themes the influence of the Armenian national tradition is felt.
The Armenian-Chalcedonians attributed great significance to the image
of St Gregory of Armenia since for them he personified the initial unity
and orthodoxy of the Armenian Church. We can also note the theme
of «Armenian-Georgian community» in the Akhtala iconographic pro-
gramme. Its purpose was to demonstrate the deep affinity between the
Armenian-Chalcedonian and Georgian churches. The murals also re-
flected the confessional situation at the turn of the 13* century, when
the Armenian-Chalcedonians adopted a distinctive position in relation
to the Roman Catholic Church. One of the most important themes in
the entire iconographic programme was that of Christian unity. The
exceptional interest of the Armenian-Chalcedonians in union between
the different confessions derived from their position as an ethno-con-
fessional group under constant threat of crisis. They found themselves
at the epicenter of confessional and ethnic conflicts.
The numerous inscriptions emphasize the Armenian-Chalcedonian
character of the iconographic programme. Greek and Georgian texts
alternate. In several depictions the inscription is repeated in both Greek
and Georgian. This is not to be found in Georgian wall paintings but it
has direct analogies in other Armenian-Chalcedonian murals. The lan-
guage used in the Akhtala frescoes was not connected to the ethnic or-
igins of the painters but the particular conception of the authors of the
iconographic programme. They wanted to show that the holy images
belonged specifically to the Chalcedonian church which in confessional
terms was inseparable from the Greek and Georgian churches197. The
bilingual inscriptions were a distinctive token of confessional allegiance
that confirmed the orthodoxy of the holy image and was the most strik-
ing distinguishing feature of Armenian-Chalcedonian murals.
The iconographic programme of the Akhtala murals, when it is exam-
ined in the context of the Armenian-Chalcedonian culture, is an invalu-
able historical source. In consulting it we find a substitute for the political
and theological treatises that have not survived. It embodied the partic-
ular worldview of the Armenian-Chalcedonians, which was founded on
a consistent orientation towards Byzantium and Georgia while preserv-
ing unbroken ties with the national Armenian environment.
graphic themes the influence of the Armenian national tradition is felt.
The Armenian-Chalcedonians attributed great significance to the image
of St Gregory of Armenia since for them he personified the initial unity
and orthodoxy of the Armenian Church. We can also note the theme
of «Armenian-Georgian community» in the Akhtala iconographic pro-
gramme. Its purpose was to demonstrate the deep affinity between the
Armenian-Chalcedonian and Georgian churches. The murals also re-
flected the confessional situation at the turn of the 13* century, when
the Armenian-Chalcedonians adopted a distinctive position in relation
to the Roman Catholic Church. One of the most important themes in
the entire iconographic programme was that of Christian unity. The
exceptional interest of the Armenian-Chalcedonians in union between
the different confessions derived from their position as an ethno-con-
fessional group under constant threat of crisis. They found themselves
at the epicenter of confessional and ethnic conflicts.
The numerous inscriptions emphasize the Armenian-Chalcedonian
character of the iconographic programme. Greek and Georgian texts
alternate. In several depictions the inscription is repeated in both Greek
and Georgian. This is not to be found in Georgian wall paintings but it
has direct analogies in other Armenian-Chalcedonian murals. The lan-
guage used in the Akhtala frescoes was not connected to the ethnic or-
igins of the painters but the particular conception of the authors of the
iconographic programme. They wanted to show that the holy images
belonged specifically to the Chalcedonian church which in confessional
terms was inseparable from the Greek and Georgian churches197. The
bilingual inscriptions were a distinctive token of confessional allegiance
that confirmed the orthodoxy of the holy image and was the most strik-
ing distinguishing feature of Armenian-Chalcedonian murals.
The iconographic programme of the Akhtala murals, when it is exam-
ined in the context of the Armenian-Chalcedonian culture, is an invalu-
able historical source. In consulting it we find a substitute for the political
and theological treatises that have not survived. It embodied the partic-
ular worldview of the Armenian-Chalcedonians, which was founded on
a consistent orientation towards Byzantium and Georgia while preserv-
ing unbroken ties with the national Armenian environment.