Armenian - crossed arches - quest

[lucian]

Hi everybody ,
I need your help, please , maybe you are kind to help me understand something about this kind of arches :

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5209/...2ec920e2_z.jpg
My question is : ARE THEY ARMENIAN ARCHES ?

Could we call them "amenian" ?
Are the amenians the first to utilise these kind of crossed arches , or do they apear in other architectural style ?

When I google "armenian arches" it shows poor infos about that issue, maybe
you, armenian people , know it better !

Thank you all in advance for answering my questions !

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Armenian - crossed arches - quest

The photo shows a 19thC church, Armenian I guess - since it is a pastiche of forms and motifs found in medieval Armenian architecture. You find crossing rib arches like this in 13th century Armenian gavits.There is no such architectural term as "Armenian arches" but in the 1930s Baltrusaitis attempted to prove that this form originated in Armenia (though his theory has long since been discredited - see Christina Maranchi's "Medieval Armenian Architecture - Constructions of Race and Nation").

[lucian]

Re: Armenian - crossed arches - quest

Im happy to find somebody to discus about a really important matter for me.
Indeed these gavits have them (Haghartsin Monastery refectory,
Library in Goshavank,Gegharda, Gandzasar ) with mention they’re not used at the most important place, the church but refectory or library , the auxiliary spaces . Later, Armenian ecclesiastic architecture , 18 ( Paris ) and 19-20 ( Yerevan St. Gregory Illuminator ) century, the architects focus on them and get this structure on the top probably because it is beautiful, resistant , creating a functional open space and very important cross shaped .
I think same reasons made St. John Maximovich of St Francisco to choose these arches for his 20 century Russian Californian church .
It would be interesting for me to read arguments of Baltrusaitis and Christna Maranchi but where could I find those writings ?
Thank you very much for your post !

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Armenian - crossed arches - quest

The narthex/hall of the Apostles church at Ani also has a vault supported by rib arches that cross over each other. So too has the kitchen at the Ishak Pasha palace, though this is a much later building.

In Armenia, this form of roofing is probably derived from the wooden roofs of traditional houses - the type of timber dome called a hazarashen - but it has evolved into a form that is suitable for masonry construction.

Vaults made with these crossing rib arches are found in other countries with architectural histories unconnected to Armenia, and they are also found in buildings earlier than those in Armenia - so the form did not originate in Armenia and spread out from there. However, this form of roofing may have evolved in Armenia independantly, and Armenia is the only country where it was used in such a widespread way that it could be said to be one of the defining features of its national architecture.

The photo shows the interior of the Armenian church in Paris - which is a late 19th century building I think. It seems to have been quite a popular form to use for Armenian churches in the 19th century. Hovhannes Katchaznouni produced unrealised designs for an Armenian cathedral in Baku that also had crossing rib arches. And, as you mentioned, the ugly new cathedral in Yerevan uses them.

The book by Maranchi is in print. It takes an unusual approach to the subject in that it does not attempt to give a new history or description of Armenian architecture, but is a history of what others have, in the past, written about medieval Armenian architecture.

The book by Jurgis Baltrusaitis is long out of print, it is in French and was published in the 1930s. The book is entirely about these "Armenian" rib arches and he attempts to prove there is a direct connection between buildings in Armenia and similar structures in Europe. The problem with his theory was that he was writing without knowing the correct dates that the Armenian buildings were constructed - he thought that they were older than they actually are. If you want a printed facsimile copy of that book and can use ebay and paypal, then maybe something can be arranged. Send me a private message.

BTW, your "maybe you Armenian people know it better" comment gave me a smile.

[lucian]

Re: Armenian - crossed arches - quest

That comment was meant to bring out if the arches are associated by the people as a national feature.
Anyway giving a smile is nice

Your post is excellent, well documented, answering with eloquence to all the questions.( I was inspired to write on this forum )

If your are kind please let me know some other examples of nations or architectural styles using this kind of rib arches, or I will find them in Baltrusaitis book ?
Do Maranchi's book make corrections to Baltrusaiti's ?
Those traditional "timber dome called a hazarashen" would be interesting to see because the origin of a structure depends on materials available .Though not timber but stone is what I think armenians have on the hand and arches very often mean stone.

So it appears that armenian architects and clergy wanted them as a symbol in a time when national-religious identity was worldwide a goal and architecture as always is used to achieve it.

Hovhannes Katchaznouni's unrealized cathedral would be useful to see how did he filled the spaces between the ribs and connect them with the dome and the apses.
Style is what defines someone , not necessarily an element but the way you use it , that could make the difference ( diversity ).


I wrote you an private message , but I don't know if you got it for it not saved in my sent items box.

[lucian]

conclusions

I wrote the book and all I got is :
First there were the orientals who used them but in more decorative way.
Second the Armenians, more logical , structural and cross like.
Third occidentals more sophisticated, complex.
Forth, we used them nice and apparently simple.
Feeling better knowing were we are
Thank you !