Christina Maranci
Dr. Christina Maranci, Arthur H. Dadian and Ara T. Oztemel Associate Professor of Armenian Art at Tufts University, has issued the following call to save a remarkable church of Western Armenia, now in Turkish territory.
The
cathedral of Mren is now in danger of collapse. Constructed in c. 638,
Mren is a masterpiece of world art and a product of the “Golden Age” of
Armenian architecture. Bearing an inscription naming
the Roman emperor Heraclius, and a unique sculpted relief image of
Heraclius returning the True Cross to Jerusalem, Mren preserves precious
material evidence for one of the most dramatic and yet
poorly-documented moments in history. It is also the largest
domed basilica surviving from the region, and a key example of the
architectural achievements of the seventh century.
But Mren may not be
standing for much longer. Photographs from the 1990s to the first decade
of the twenty-first century show the progressive
collapse of the south façade. Now the entire south aisle is in rubble
on the ground, severely compromising the domed superstructure of the
monument and opening the interior and its wall painting to the elements.
The prospect of stabilizing what is left is
at present doubtful, however, because of Mren’s position within a
military zone in eastern Turkey (Kars province) next to the closed
Armenian-Turkish border. Visiting the site is forbidden.
Please raise
awareness of the precarious condition of this precious
monument. Mren has stood for over a millennium, bearing world history
on its walls. Its collapse would represent a tragic loss to human
knowledge.
No comments:
Post a Comment