DOCSLIB.ORG

University of California

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title The Calouste Gulbenkian Library, Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, 1925-1990: An Historical Portrait of a Monastic and Lay Community Intellectual Resource Center Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8f39k3ht Author Manoogian, Sylva Natalie Publication Date 2012 Supplemental Material https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8f39k3ht#supplemental Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles The Calouste Gulbenkian Library, Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, 1925-1990: An Historical Portrait of a Monastic and Lay Community Intellectual Resource Center A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Library and Information Science by Sylva Natalie Manoogian 2013 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION The Calouste Gulbenkian Library, Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, 1925-1990: An Historical Portrait of a Monastic and Lay Community Intellectual Resource Center by Sylva Natalie Manoogian Doctor of Philosophy in Library and Information Science University of California, Los Angeles 2013 Professor Mary Niles Maack, Chair The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem is a major religious, educational, cultural, and ecumenical institution, established more than fourteen centuries ago. The Calouste Gulbenkian Library is one of the Patriarchate’s five intellectual resource centers. Plans for its establishment began in 1925 as a tribute to Patriarch Yeghishe I Tourian to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. Its primary mission has been to collect and preserve valuable works of Armenian religion, language, art, literature, and history, as well as representative works of world literature in a number of languages. The benefaction of Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian and the continued support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation of Lisbon, Portugal, and the Saint Sarkis Trust Fund of London brought to fruition the construction funds for Patriarch Tourian’s vision of a book palace. ii In order to present a systematic chronological English language study on the Calouste Gulbenkian Library, this institutional history has aimed to investigate and analyze the emergence, leadership, development, and functions of the Library, as a centralized point of access to the Patriarchate’s repositories of books, artifacts, and archives, and to serve the information needs and intellectual pursuits of the religious and lay populations of Armenian Jerusalem and the Armenian Diaspora. Although key primary and secondary sources regarding the Library and its collections existed in the Patriarchate’s administrative archives, the information had not been organized in a consistent manner. There was no evidence to indicate that a succession of professionally trained librarians, curators, or archivists had been employed by the Patriarchate to develop and manage its intellectual repositories. Through its 65-year history, from 1925 to 1990, the Gulbenkian Library emerges as the gateway to information for the Armenian Patriarchate, brought to fruition due to the collective resolve of its parent institution and its leadership. Inevitable changes in reaction to external and internal factors and influences, both positive and negative, have contributed to the resilience and continuity of this millennial monastic institution. Analysis of the Library’s collections reflects the detailed approach used to create and develop a research model for religious, cultural, social, and ecumenical studies. iii The dissertation of Sylva Natalie Manoogian is approved. Clara Chu Anne Gilliland Peter Cowe Mary Niles Maack, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2013 iv IN MEMORIAM His Beatitude Archbishop Torkom II Manoogian Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem (16 February, 1919 – 12 October, 2012) v TABLE OF CONTENTS Note on Transliteration and Translation xvi-xix Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Problem Statement and Background 1-4 Significance of the Study 5-8 Research Goals, 5; Guiding Research Questions, 5-8; Key Primary Resources, 8 Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction, 9; History of Medieval and Monastic Libraries of the Eastern and Western Traditions, 9-17 9-17 The Armenian Church and Its Role in Religious and Cultural Patrimony 17-19 History and Institutional Organization of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem 19-23 Intellectual Resource Centers of the Armenian Patriarchate, Past and Present 23-24 vi Chapter 3 CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND The Armenian Church and Its Role in Armenian Cultural 25-31 Patrimony The Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church: A Brief Overview, 25-26; The Armenian Church Today, 28-30 The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem within the Hierarchy of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church 30-39 Introduction, 30-32; The Armenian Patriarchate and the Political Climate of the Region, 32-36; Relationships with Soviet Armenia, 36-38, and Armenian Diaspora, 39 Chapter 4 THE ARMENIAN PATRIARCHATE OF JERUSALEM AS AN INSTITUTION Map and Introduction 40-42 Patriarchal Missions 43-44 St. James Monastery Intellectual Resource Centers before the Gulbenkian Library 45-51 St. Toros Manuscript Library, 45-47; St. James Printing Press, 48; Monastic Reading Hall and Monks’ Personal Libraries; 48-49; Mardigian Museum of Armenian Art and Culture, 49-50 vii Chapter 5 PHILANTHROPY AND KEY PLAYERS IN THE CREATION OF A LIBRARY FOR ARMENIAN JERUSALEM The Role of Philanthropy in Support of Armenian Education And Culture 51-53 Patriarch Yeghishe I Tourian (1860-1930) 54-55 Portrait of Patriarch Yeghishe I 56-63 Early Life and Education, 56-58; Ordination to Celibate Priesthood (1879-1889), 58; The Village of Partizak, 58-60; The Spirit of the Armash Seminary, 60-61; Elevation to the Bishopric (1898), and Tenure as the Armenian Prelate of Smyrna (1904-1909), 61-62 Patriarch Yeghishe I during the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923 62-64 Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, 64 Patriarchal Priorities, Accomplishments and Legacy 64-68 Reorganization of the St. James Theological Seminary, 65-66; Education of Boys and Girls, 66=67; Literary Activity and Legacy, 67; A New Patriarchal Library, 67-68 Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (1863-1955) and the Gulbenkian Foundation 68 viii Portrait of a Benefactor for Armenian Jerusalem 68-71 Tourian 50th Jubilee Committee Members, 1928-1932 72-74 Chapter 6 ENVISIONING, BUILDING AND OPENING THE NEW PATRIARCHAL GULBENKIAN LIBRARY, 1925-1932 Patriarch Tourian’s Vision for a Patriarchal Library 75 Tourian the Graceful and His Library in Armash 76-77 Inauguration of the Projected Gulbenkian Library 78-87 Ground-breaking and Beginning the Construction, March 1930, 80-87 Patriarch Tourian’s Personal Library Collection 87-88 Chapter 7 DEVELOPING THE GULBENKIAN LIBRARY COLLECTIONS, 1933-1949 The Gulbenkian Library: Centralization of Intellectual Resource Centers 89-95 Introduction, 89; Founding Collections, 90-91; Collection of Books, Newspapers and their Classification, 91-92; Library Management and Services, 92-93; Visitors to the Gulbenkian Library, 93-94 ix Patriarchal Governance, 1931-1949 94-104 Patriarch Torkom I Koushagian (1874-1949) , 95-98: Early Life, Education and Religious Service (1874-1918), 95-97; Patriarchal Tenure (1 December 1931-10 February 1939), 97-98 Patriarch Mesrob III Nishanian (1872-1944): Early Life, Education, Religious Service (1872-1939) and Patriarchal Tenure (9 April 1939-26 July, 1944), 98-100 Patriarch Guregh II Israelian (1894-1949): Early Life, Education, Religious Service (1894-1944), and Patriarchal Tenure (20 October 1944-28 October 1949), 100-104 Chapter 8 A PERIOD OF POLITICAL AND INTERNAL TURMOIL, November 1949 to August 1960 Patriarchal Governance, 1949-1960 105-117 Father Yeghishe Derderian, Locum Tenens, (7 November 1949-10 October 1956), 105; From Father to Bishop Yeghishe (1910-1960): 106-109; Early Life and Education, 105-106; Ordination to the Diaconate and Celibate Priesthood, 107-108 x Patriarch-Elect Tiran Nersoyan (19 March 1957- 30 August 1958), 108-112: Early Life, Education and Religious Service, 108-110; Patriarchal Election in Jerusalem, 110; Archbishop Tiran’s Accomplishments, 111-112 Deacon Sahag Kalaydjian, Library Secretary (1953-1960) 112-114 Early Life and Education, 112-113; Employment and Community Involvement, 114; Library Secretary Kalaydjian and the Gulbenkian Library, 113-114 Gulbenkian Library Cataloging and Classification System Development 114-116 Visitors to the Gulbenkian Library, 1949-1960 116-117 Chapter 9 CONTINUITY WITHIN A PERIOD OF INSTABILITY, 9 June 1060-4 February 1960 World Political Climate and Its Effect on the Armenian Patriarchate 118-119 Patriarch Yeghishe II Derderian, 1960-1990 120 xi Gulbenkian Library Collection Development in the 1960’s 121-126 The Role of Sahag Kalaydjian, Library Secretary, 121; Gulbenkian Library Reports (1963-1969), 122: (1) Jerusalem’s Gulbenkian Library (1962-1963), 122-123; (2) Report Dated (1964 May-April 1965), 124-125; (3) Report Dated (31 December 1969), 125-126 Cumulative Statistical Reports, 1960-1990 127-137 Expenses / Receipts, 127-130; Gulbenkian Library Acquisitions, 131-133 Collection Development – New Books Received by Time Period, 134-137 Visitors to the Gulbenkian Library, 6 September 1960-14 August 1966 138 Chapter 10 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Scope of Study 139 Guiding Research Goals and Questions 140-144 Future Studies 147 Postscript 148 xii APPENDIX A CHRONOLOGY OF MAJOR EVENTS AND DEVELOPMENTS RELATED TO LIBRARY
Recommended publications
  • Dominic Soto, Theologian of the Council of Trent

    Dominic Soto, Theologian of the Council of Trent

    DOMINIC SOTO THEOLOGIAN OF THE COUNCIL OF TRENT (1494-1560) One of the most renowned and erudite scholars of his time, and one whom the Order of Friars Preachers may proudly place before the present-day scholars of the world as an example wor­ thy of admiration and emulation is Dominic Soto, known as "Theologian of the Council of Trent." Unlike many scholars of his day Soto was born of poor par­ ents, in the year 1494, in Segovia, in Old-Castile, during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella. At baptism he received his father's name, Francis, and on entering the Dominican Order took the name of Dominic. Here at Segovia his childhood was spent. His father, a poor gardener, had destined the youth to follow this same humble occupation. But Dominic felt himself called to something more elevated, and so evident were his precocious talents and his passion for study that he was finally allowed to attend the schools of Segovia, where he devoted his attention to such subjects as reading, writing and the elements of Latin Gram­ mar. Poverty, however, soon forced him to abandon school and seek employment as sacristan of the Dominican church in the neighboring village of Ochand, where he first became acquainted with the Dominicans. For several years he fulfilled the duties of sacristan, an occupation which was peculiarly agreeable to him, inasmuch as it was favorable to his tender piety and afforded him, moreover, ample time for study. At this period Soto's intellectual development was great and the Lord, Whom he served with all the devotion of his heart, crowned his labors with success by enabling him to pursue his studies in the Univer­ sity of Alcala, where he studied under the famous Thomas de Villanova, afterwards Archbishop of Valentia and later canonized by Pope Alexander VII.
  • Appointment of Clergy Office Holders a Guide To

    Appointment of Clergy Office Holders a Guide To

    Appointment of clergy office holders A guide to good practice Produced in support of the Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) Measure 2009 Prepared by TSIP in 2013 for final approval by the Standing Committee of the House of Bishops and updated by RACSC in February 2015 Foreword 1. The process by which people are chosen for particular roles is one of the most important and sensitive in all institutions. The Church of England has, for many years, invested significantly in well resourced and nationally agreed arrangements for discerning the vocation of those called to ordained ministry. But, for a variety of reasons the Church of England has traditionally found it much more difficult to reflect nationally on the processes which come later, once someone is due to be considered for a parochial clergy appointment. 2. There have been a number of reasons for this reticence. The most obvious is the sheer fragmentation of responsibility for making appointments in a church with some 13,000 parishes. The Church of England is not a legal entity and is made up of many different bodies; in many ways it has more the qualities of an organism than an organization. 3. In addition, the patronage system, though much reformed over the years, has continued to make the practical operation of parochial appointments within the Church of England more complex than in many other institutions. In the appointment of incumbents, it remains the patron who has the right of initiative, though an appointment cannot proceed without the consent both of the bishop and of the two parochial representatives.
  • A Form Within a Form a Conversation Between Dor Guez and the Composer Hagop K

    A Form Within a Form a Conversation Between Dor Guez and the Composer Hagop K

    A Form within a Form A Conversation between Dor Guez and the Composer Hagop K. Dor Guez: The fate, or should I say the physical presence, of a work of art that isn't fixed to a place doesn't necessarily attests to its origin, or sources of influence. This is especially true in the case of musical works like your own. Hagop K.: Similarly to movables such as ceramics, carpets, silverware, manuscripts, etc., sometimes it's impossible to point with any certainty to the origin of a melody. Objects such as these are easily transferable and thus it's often hard to pinpoint the identity of their maker. This enabled nationalistic historians to bend their findings and dub unmistakablely Armenian artifacts "Ottoman." D.G.: The nation-state's artificial borders distort the historiography of art. For this reason, the phenomenon of inscription (in Armenian "hishatakaran") is not accidental when we are dealing with minority culture, which is often nomadic. H.K.: More than any other people, we insist on artistic validation and authorship. There is a built-in blindness in the writing on Christian artisanship originating from Armenia. For example, academic literature tends to ignore the Armenian influence on the ceramics made throughout the Ottoman Empire. The prevalent reasons given to this oversight are that many of the objects manufactured by Armenian potters were commissioned by Muslim clients, or that Armenian carpets were woven and commissioned by Muslim subjects of the Empire. Having been subsumed by the metanarrative under the heading "Ottoman" or "Turkish" works, ornaments manufactured in Armenian workshops (decorated ceramic tiles, jars and eggs) were deemed unworthy of a chapter of their own.
  • The Rites of Holy Week

    The Rites of Holy Week

    THE RITES OF HOLY WEEK • CEREMONIES • PREPARATIONS • MUSIC • COMMENTARY By FREDERICK R. McMANUS Priest of the Archdiocese of Boston 1956 SAINT ANTHONY GUILD PRESS PATERSON, NEW JERSEY Copyright, 1956, by Frederick R. McManus Nihil obstat ALFRED R. JULIEN, J.C. D. Censor Lib1·or111n Imprimatur t RICHARD J. CUSHING A1·chbishop of Boston Boston, February 16, 1956 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA INTRODUCTION ANCTITY is the purpose of the "new Holy Week." The news S accounts have been concerned with the radical changes, the upset of traditional practices, and the technical details of the re­ stored Holy Week services, but the real issue in the reform is the development of true holiness in the members of Christ's Church. This is the expectation of Pope Pius XII, as expressed personally by him. It is insisted upon repeatedly in the official language of the new laws - the goal is simple: that the faithful may take part in the most sacred week of the year "more easily, more devoutly, and more fruitfully." Certainly the changes now commanded ,by the Apostolic See are extraordinary, particularly since they come after nearly four centuries of little liturgical development. This is especially true of the different times set for the principal services. On Holy Thursday the solemn evening Mass now becomes a clearer and more evident memorial of the Last Supper of the Lord on the night before He suffered. On Good Friday, when Holy Mass is not offered, the liturgical service is placed at three o'clock in the afternoon, or later, since three o'clock is the "ninth hour" of the Gospel accounts of our Lord's Crucifixion.
  • What Is Christianity?-Johnson

    What Is Christianity?-Johnson

    January 26, 1939 5c a copy THE WITNESS D’ASCENZO WINDOW In St. Paul’s, Chestnut Hill WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY?-JOHNSON Copyright 2020. Archives of the Episcopal Church / DFMS. Permission required for reuse and publication. SCHOOLS CLERGY NOTES SCHOOLS BAYNE, STEPHEN F. JR., formerly rector of Trinity, St. Louis, Mo., has accepted the W ft (Hetteral tE^eoIogical rectorship of St. John’s, Northampton, Mass., effective February 15th. Address: KHMEEEHZLL J^emmarg 64 Harrison Avenue. f COLE, STUART G., rector of Trinity, Sene­ KENOSHA, WISCONSIN Three-year undergraduate ca Falls, N. Y., is now acting chaplain of course of prescribed and elective Hobart College pending the appointment of Episcopal Boarding and Day School. study. a permanent chaplain. Preparatory to all colleges. Unusual GARDNER, H. G-, has resigned as rector of opportunities in Art and Musie. Fourth-year course for gradu­ St. Paul’s, Burlingame, Calif., because of Complete sports program. Junior ate», offering larger opportunity illness. School. Accredited. Address: for specialization. GESNER, A. T., retired, farmer professor at the Berkeley Divinity School, died at his SISTERS OF ST. MARY Provision for more advanced home in New Milford, Connecticut, on wwt, leading to degrees of S.T.M. January 14th. He was 73 years of age. Box W. T. and D.Th. HANNAH, RICHARD S., retired, died at his Kemper Hall Kenosha, Wisconsin home in Detroit on January x7th after a brief illness. He was 76 years of age. ADDRESS CATHEDRAL CHOIR SCHOOL HODGKIN, W. R. H., formerly archdeacon of California, has been appointed temporarily New York City THE DEAN in charge of St.
  • Armenian Christians in Jerusalem: 1700 Years of Peaceful Presence*

    Armenian Christians in Jerusalem: 1700 Years of Peaceful Presence*

    Laury Haytayan1 Прегледни рад Arab Region Parliamentarians Against Corruption UDK:27(479.25)(569.44) ARMENIAN CHRISTIANS IN JERUSALEM: 1700 YEARS OF PEACEFUL PRESENCE* Abstract This paper examines the presence of the Armenians in Jerusalem for the past 1700 years. This historical account sheds the light on the importance of Jerusa- lem for the Armenians, especially for the Armenian Church that was granted the authority to safeguard the Holy Places in the Holy Land with the Greek and Latin Churches. During the centuries, the Armenians survived all the conquests and were able to find all sorts of compromises with all the different powers that conquered Jerusalem. This study shows that the permanent presence is due to the wise religious authorities and the entire Armenian community who had no backing from super powers but they had their religious beliefs and their per- sistence in safeguarding the Holy Places of Christianity. The author takes the reader back in History by stopping at important events that shaped the history of the Armenians in the Holy Land. Key words: Jerusalem, Armenians, Crusaders, Holy Land, St James Monas- tery, Old City, Armenian Quarter. Introduction This paper comes at a time when Christians in Iraq and Egypt are being mas- sacred in their churches, Christians in Nazareth are being forbidden to decorate a Christmas tree in public space, and Christians in Lebanon are seeking to pre- serve their political rights to safeguard their presence in their Homeland. At a time, when the Palestinian Authority is alerting the International Community of the danger of the continuous and ferocious settlement construction in East Jerusalem by the State of Israel, and at a time when Christians of the East are being silent on the fate of Jerusalem by leaving it in the hands of the Palestinian and Israeli negotiators, hoping that the Unites States will be the caretaker of the Christians of Jerusalem.
  • FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE on the Trail of Armenian Women's History

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE on the Trail of Armenian Women's History

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE On The Trail of Armenian Women’s History By Sona Zeitlian GLENDALE, CA On Friday, June 13, 2014, at 7pm, Sona Zeitlian will present her newly published book On the Trail of Armenian Women’s History at the Glendale Central Library Auditorium, 222 East Harvard Street in Glendale. The presentation is in Armenian. Admission is free. Library visitors receive 3 hours FREE parking across the street at The Market Place parking structure with validation at the Loan Desk. On the Trail of Armenian Women’s History is a comprehensive study of Armenian women from goddesses to modern times, reflecting national values and the prominence of women. It examines the role of women in the cultural renaissance of Constantinople and Tbilisi, focusing on the writings of prominent female authors, and discusses the organization and impact of the first women’s movement. The book also examines the effects of the Armenian Genocide and the mass deportations of women and children. The resilience of survivors and women’s organizations’ sustained relief efforts to meet the multiple challenges draw from unpublished witness accounts and extensive research. Finally, the challenges of diasporan Armenian women in modern times is examined. The study has also compiled maps and photographs, some of which belong to personal collections and appear in print for the first time. The book was granted the Kevork Melidinetsi 2013 Award. Sona Zeitlian was born in Cairo, Egypt. She is an award winning educator and author with a long career of community activism and leadership in Cairo, Beirut, and Los Angeles. Her writings have focused on Armenian mythology and legends, folk tales based on the Armenian oral tradition, Armenian women's intellectual history, the rights movement and current issues of Armenian women in the homeland and diaspora.
  • EUROPE a Albania • National Historical Museum – Tirana, Albania

    EUROPE a Albania • National Historical Museum – Tirana, Albania

    EUROPE A Albania • National Historical Museum – Tirana, Albania o The country's largest museum. It was opened on 28 October 1981 and is 27,000 square meters in size, while 18,000 square meters are available for expositions. The National Historical Museum includes the following pavilions: Pavilion of Antiquity, Pavilion of the Middle Ages, Pavilion of Renaissance, Pavilion of Independence, Pavilion of Iconography, Pavilion of the National Liberation Antifascist War, Pavilion of Communist Terror, and Pavilion of Mother Teresa. • Et'hem Bey Mosque – Tirana, Albania o The Et’hem Bey Mosque is located in the center of the Albanian capital Tirana. Construction was started in 1789 by Molla Bey and it was finished in 1823 by his son Ethem Pasha (Haxhi Ethem Bey), great- grandson of Sulejman Pasha. • Mount Dajt – Tirana, Albania o Its highest peak is at 1,613 m. In winter, the mountain is often covered with snow, and it is a popular retreat to the local population of Tirana that rarely sees snow falls. Its slopes have forests of pines, oak and beech. Dajti Mountain was declared a National Park in 1966, and has since 2006 an expanded area of about 29,384 ha. It is under the jurisdiction and administration of Tirana Forest Service Department. • Skanderbeg Square – Tirana, Albania o Skanderbeg Square is the main plaza of Tirana, Albania named in 1968 after the Albanian national hero Skanderbeg. A Skanderbeg Monument can be found in the plaza. • Skanderbeg Monument – Skanderberg Square, Tirana, Albania o The monument in memory of Skanderbeg was erected in Skanderbeg Square, Tirana.
  • Publications 1427998433.Pdf

    Publications 1427998433.Pdf

    THE CHURCH OF ARMENIA HISTORIOGRAPHY THEOLOGY ECCLESIOLOGY HISTORY ETHNOGRAPHY By Father Zaven Arzoumanian, PhD Columbia University Publication of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church 2014 Cover painting by Hakob Gasparian 2 During the Pontificate of HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians By the Order of His Eminence ARCHBISHOP HOVNAN DERDERIAN Primate of the Western Diocese Of the Armenian Church of North America 3 To The Mgrublians And The Arzoumanians With Gratitude This publication sponsored by funds from family and friends on the occasion of the author’s birthday Special thanks to Yeretsgin Joyce Arzoumanian for her valuable assistance 4 To Archpriest Fr. Dr. Zaven Arzoumanian A merited Armenian clergyman Beloved Der Hayr, Your selfless pastoral service has become a beacon in the life of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Blessed are you for your sacrificial spirit and enduring love that you have so willfully offered for the betterment of the faithful community. You have shared the sacred vision of our Church fathers through your masterful and captivating writings. Your newest book titled “The Church of Armenia” offers the reader a complete historiographical, theological, ecclesiological, historical and ethnographical overview of the Armenian Apostolic Church. We pray to the Almighty God to grant you a long and a healthy life in order that you may continue to enrich the lives of the flock of Christ with renewed zeal and dedication. Prayerfully, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian Primate March 5, 2014 Burbank 5 PREFACE Specialized and diversified studies are included in this book from historiography to theology, and from ecclesiology to ethno- graphy, most of them little known to the public.
  • Buildings in Their Patrons' Hands? the Multiform Function of Small Size

    Buildings in Their Patrons' Hands? the Multiform Function of Small Size

    Transkulturelle Perspektiven 3/2014 - 1 - و Maria Cristina Carile Buildings in their patrons’ hands? The multiform function of small size models between Byzantium and Transcaucasia The representation of the church model in the hands order to understand the value of these models after of the church's patron or founder finds its roots in the the twelfth century – following the chronological frame arts of Late Antiquity. Since the sixth century, this mo- of this volume – it is important to determine their im- tif adorned church apses, as an image of offering to portance in Caucasian visual culture, first tracing the Christ or the Virgin. 1 Later, it became a strong iconic evolution of the donation image. This will help us to image conveying the role of the patron/founder in the evaluate the meaning of architectural models in the construction and his devotion, which was embodied changed historical context of the Transcaucasian in the model as well as in the building itself. As such, principalities between the late twelfth and the thir- the theme had particular fortune in medieval Rome teenth centuries, when architectural models on and spread to the East as far as the Caucasus. After church walls were enriched with new meanings. the Latin conquest of Constantinople during the fourth crusade (1204 AD), the motif was widely adopted in The first appearance of the motif in the Transcaucasi- the Balkans and in the territories in close contact with an area probably dates back to the sixth century. This Byzantium. 2 This paper will focus on church models is testified by a now-lost sculpted relief with the im- as a motif, reflecting on their spread and role in the age of a woman holding a church model, which may decoration of the external façades of the churches in have decorated the outer walls of the cathedral com- the Caucasus and, specifically, in the area of Trans- plex at Agarak (region of Ayrarat), formed by a fifth- or caucasia.
  • Reflections on Fieldwork in the Region of Ani Christina Maranci I Study the Medieval Armenian Monuments—Churche

    Reflections on Fieldwork in the Region of Ani Christina Maranci I Study the Medieval Armenian Monuments—Churche

    In the Traces: Reflections on Fieldwork in the Region of Ani Christina Maranci I study the medieval Armenian monuments—churches, monasteries, fortresses, palaces, and more—in what is now eastern Turkey (what many call western Arme- nia). For me, this region is at once the most beautiful, and most painful, place on earth. I am the grandchild of survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–22, in which Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire suffered mass deportation and extermination: a crime that still goes unrecognized by the Turkish state.1 Scholars have characterized the Armenian monuments in Turkey as physical traces of their lost homeland.2 While my scholarship addresses these sites as historical and archi- tectural/artistic phenomena, that work does not often capture the moods and emotions I feel when I am there.3 I hope to offer here a sense of the more personal dimensions of firsthand work with the buildings and their landscapes. Many important medieval Armenian monuments stand on and around the closed international border between the Republics of Turkey and Armenia. Some of them are accessible to tourists, while others, like the church of Mren, remain forbidden, as they lie within or too close to the military zone. Dated to circa 638, and once part of the princely territory of the Kamsarakan family, Mren became the summer residence of the royal Armenian Bagratids in the tenth century.4 Once surrounded by a network of buildings, vineyards, and roads, now the church stands alone. Figure 1 illustrates the Armenian high plateau: deforested from antiquity, it is a rocky tableland lacerated by gorges and ringed with mountain chains.
  • Princely Suburb, Armenian Quarter Or Christian Ghetto? the Urban Setting of New Julfa in the Safavid Capital of Isfahan (1605-1722)

    Princely Suburb, Armenian Quarter Or Christian Ghetto? the Urban Setting of New Julfa in the Safavid Capital of Isfahan (1605-1722)

    Ina Baghdiantz-MacCabe* Princely Suburb, Armenian Quarter or Christian Ghetto? The Urban Setting of New Julfa in the Safavid Capital of Isfahan (1605-1722) Résumé. Faubourg princier, quartier arménien ou ghetto chrétien ? L’établissement urbain de New Joulfa dans la capitale safavide d’Ispahan (1605-1722). L’article examine les lieux d’habitation des Arméniens à Isfahan et dans le nouveau bourg de la Nouvelle Joulfa, un quartier résidentiel construit spécialement pour recevoir les marchands de soie de Joulfa déportés à Isfahan en 1604 par Abbas Ier (r.1587-1629). Ce quartier se trouve, non sans raison politique, face aux résidences des notables, souvent eux mêmes originaires du Caucase pendant ce règne, dans la nouvelle capitale d’Isfahan. Il est démontré que, contrairement aux villes arabes sous domination ottomane étudiées par André Raymond, comme Alep ou Le Caire, il n’existait pas un quartier arménien. À leur arrivée, seuls les marchands prospères s’étaient vus accorder le droit de séjour dans le bourg de la Nouvelle Joulfa, tandis que les artisans et les domestiques habitaient parmi la population musulmane d’Isfahan même. La Nouvelle Joulfa était strictement réservée aux Joulfains. Aux termes d’un décret, les musulmans, les missionnaires catholiques et les autres arméniens, n’étaient autorisés à y résider. Cette situation changerait vers le milieu du XVIIe siècle. Après 1655, ce qui était un bourg “princier” – car le prévôt des marchands de Joulfa provient, selon les sources, d’une famille considérée princière –, deviendrait un “quartier arménien”, les Arméniens d’ Isfahan, après avoir été chassés de la capitale, ayant été transférés vers le bourg.