Architecture of Armenia
Armenian architecture is the architecture native to Armenia.[1]
Pre-Christian Armenia
The inhabitants of Urartu were notable for their high standards in city building, palatial complexes, and rich interior decoration. Urban architectural traditions, and other forms of art in the years before Christ continued to develop under the influence of Greco-Roman art.[2]
The temple of Garni is the only pagan monument left in Armenia. Garni was built along Hellenistic classical lines, but embodies much of the sacred numerology and geometry devised by Ancestral Armenians 4200 years earlier. Garni's design has great symbolism. The temple has a column to inter column ratio of 1/3 (1 is the primary number of the universe and 3 is the holiest of all numbers as it represents the Greco-Roman triad Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. Aside from being aesthetically beautiful, Garni's design can be seen as being a reaffirmation of the universal laws that governed man's destiny. The angles, number of columns, and dimensions were created with a careful eye; Armenian pagans wanted to appease the gods and protect humanity from their wrath. This sacred geometry is evident in the entire temple. To the people who created it, it was the perfect embodiment of their communion with the universe. Note that although sacred geometry was mostly used in religious buildings, secular buildings adopted some aspects of it.[3]
Christian Armenia
The officialisation of Christianity in 301 made way to new developments in Armenian architecture, which nevertheless preserved older traditions.[2] In fact it would be almost impossible to find any religion that rose completely on its own without borrowing some traditions from the past. Exploring Armenian churches is critical to our understanding of Medieval Armenia. Beyond that, the Armenian churches describe us the general landscape of the Christian East at a time when eyewitness accounts were exceedingly rare. In their messages of authenticity and legitimacy, the churches shaped and preserved public memory, negotiating among diverse linguistic, religious, political, and ethnic groups.[4]
The first Armenian churches were built on the orders of St. Gregory the Illuminator, and were often built on top of pagan temples, and imitated some aspects of Armenian pre-Christian architecture.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Vazken Lawrence Parsegian, 1996
- ^ a b http://www.tourismarmenia.net/architecture.html
- ^ a b http://www.tacentral.com/architecture.asp?story_no=2
- ^ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0422/is_4_88/ai_n17093711/pg_2
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1 Entirely in Southwest Asia; included here because of cultural, political and historical association with Europe. 2 Partially or entirely in Asia, depending on the definition of the border between Europe and Asia. 3 Mostly in Asia. 4 Entirely in the African Plate, included here because of cultural, political and historical association with Europe. 5 Only recognised by Turkey. |
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