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RELIGIOUS UTTERANCES – art of faith introduces the reader to humanity’s historic relationship between art and faith. This daily series of articles examines the interlacing of art and faith from across the Anglican Communion. The title of the series, Religious Utterances, comes from systematic theologian Dr. Cecilia Gonzalez-Andrieu, whose work seeks “a recovery of humanity’s religious utterances through art.”
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RELIGIOUS UTTERANCES – art of faith
Eight in a series:
Armenian Khatchkar from the Lori Region
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Theme: Commemoration
“This Khatchkar is an exceptional example of the importance of the Gospels to the Armenian people,” said Helen C. Evans, the Mary and Michael Jaharis Curator of Byzantine Art at the Metropolitan, “in that it depicts of the cross of salvation rising from the symbols of the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels – the angel of Matthew, the lion of Mark, the ox of Luke, and the eagle of John. We are extremely grateful to the many members of the Armenian community, both in Armenia and here in the U.S., who made possible this loan, which represents the great medieval artistic tradition of the Armenian people.”
The Armenians, who recognized Christianity as their state religion at the beginning of the fourth century, have long maintained an independent Christian tradition. Located on the eastern border of Byzantium during medieval times, they frequently installed imposing Khatchkars as memorials to the dead and to mark local events of significance.
Text: Copyright © 2000-2008 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Additional resources: here
On View: Armenian Khatchkar (Christian Cross), from the Lori region, 1100-1200. Photographed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:PHG