Vreg Nersessian, "Treasures from the Ark: 1700 Years of Armenian Christian Art"

Vreg Nersessian, "Treasures from the Ark: 1700 Years of Armenian Christian Art"
Publisher: J. Paul Getty | 2001 | ISBN: 0892366397 | English| 240 pages

Armenia was the first country to recognize Christianity as the official state religion in 301 AD, twelve years before Constantine’s decree granting tolerance to Christianity within the Roman Empire. Ever since, Armenia has claimed the privilege of being the first Christian nation, and the wealth of Christian art produced in Armenia since then is testimony to the fundamental importance of the Christian faith to the Armenian people. This extensive new survey of Armenian Christian art, published to accompany a major exhibition at The British Library, celebrates the Christian art tradition in Armenia during the last 1700 years. The extraordinary quality and range of Armenian art that is documented here includes sculpture, metalwork, textiles, ceramics, wood carvings and illuminated manuscripts and has been drawn together from collections throughout the world. In his authoritative text, Dr. Vrej Nersessian, Curator at The British Library, charts the development of Christianity in Armenia. This fascinating history is essential to an understanding of the art and religious tradition of Armenia, a country in which the sense of the sacred extends well beyond the purely religious, infiltrating the entire fabric of Armenian affairs to create a fascinating culture. This sumptuously illustrated book will be of immense value to anyone with an interest in Byzantine art and culture, the history of Christianity, and the history of Armenia and the Middle Orient. Table of contents Message from His Holiness Garegin II

Message from the Archbishop of Canterbury Acknowledgements
Introduction by Professor Robin Cormack
Chapter One: The Conversion of Armenia to Christianity
The Land
The Spread of Christianity in Armenia
The Date of Armenia’s Conversion to Christianity
Apostolicity and Christian Missions
Monasticism and the Role of the Armenian Monasteries in Armenian Christianity
Chapter Two: The Christological Position of the Armenian Church
The Council of Chalcedon
The Armenian Church and the Council of Chalcedon
Chapter Three: The Armenian Church within Christendom
Armenian-Byzantine Church Relations
Armenian-Byzantine Church Relations at the Time of the Armenian Cilician Kingdom
The Armenian Church and the Papacy at the Time of the Armenian Cilician Kingdom
The Armenian Church in Contemporary Times
Chapter Four: Sacred Art in Theology and Worship
The Holy Scriptures
The Theology of Armenian Christian Art Portraits
The Canon Tables: Theology of Colour and Ornamentation
The Nature of Image Veneration in Armenia
Notes
Catalogue
Sculpture
Metalworks
Textiles
Carved Wood
Ceramics
Firmans
Manuscripts
Bibliography
Exhibition Catalogues
Lenders to the Exhibition
Index

About the Author

Dr. Vrej Nersessian is Curator of Armenian Collections at the British Library. His previous publications include Catalogue of Early Armenian Books (The British Library, 1980), Armenian Illuminated Gospel Books (The British Library 1987), Armenia (World Bibliographical Series vol. l63; Clio Press, 1993), A Bibliography of Articles on Armenian Studies in Western Journals 1869-1995 (Curzon Press, 1997) and the Bible in the Armenian Tradition (The British Library, 2001). He is curator of the exhibition Treasures from the Ark: 1700 Years of Armenian Christian Art.