First crosses and cross compositions.
http://www.khachkar.am/en/origins/#First_crosses
In early Christian art, the origins of the depiction of the cross is thought
to be the vision of Constantine the Great, which provided the basis for
making official the monogrammatic cross (chi-ro), and following it, the
equal-winged or, so-called Greek cross. The decorated and tree of life
philosophy and iconography of a cross is connected with Constantine the
Great's mother Helena, who found the wood of the cross, from which
originates the proportionately stringed (with longer lower wing) or Latin
cross
The oldest documented crosses in Christian Armenia were the monogrammatic
crosses. These are crosses encircled in a wreath, surrounded by doves that
represented the souls of the believers, and situated in a garden-paradise
environment. But in early medieval Armenian art, encircled crosses with
radial enlarged wings are more characteristic. These became widespread both
as a type of free-standing cross-bearing stele, and as an architectural
detail on different sacred structures. Starting already from the earliest
examples, the solar-illuminated design was paralleled with an essentially
vegetative one, which became one of the bases for the further development
and eventual emergence of the cross composition.
The cross with pulled proportions (the two elements of the cross - the
horizontal and vertical pillars, do not intersect in the middle, but rather
the horizontal element transects the vertical element at a point above the
center), which spread a bit later than the equal-winged cross (beginning
from the mid-fifth century) had better prospects of development in Armenia.
These crosses were depicted on hills, on stairs, placed on a ball, decorated
with palmettes and lilies. The wings and the crossing of the cross were
accented with jewels or buttons.
The interpretation of these details allows us to come to the conclusion that
the cross with pulled proportions incorporated both the victorious and
savior philosophy, and was presented in the center of the universe as a tree
of life on the paradise mountain, referencing the crucifixion and showing
the future.
Many examples of standing cross-bearing steles from the 4th - 7th century
have survived to the present. These steles can be divided into 6 groups:
- Stele with carvings;
- Memorial columns;
- Memorial structures;
- Free-standing crosses;
- Stone crosses erected on altars;
- Crosses on a pole.
Steles, as a rule, were concluding with a stone cross with three-dimensional
or free wings, attached on pilasters, or on special cross-holders that were
positioned on pilasters. Sometimes their bases, columns or pilasters bear
cross carvings or more sophisticated cross compositions. The
three-dimensional cross, due to a prolonged lower vertical wing, has a more
extensive look, which aimed to present the Exalted cross of Golgotha. The
composition of the free crosses included the palmette ornament, which
started from the bottom of the cross and continued until the tips of the
horizontal wings, with round holes or buttons on the wings and a pair of
buttons on the ends of the wings.
The holes or buttons originated from jewelry, where the small holes were
intended to bear precious stones or to place holy relics under a glass, and
the buttons were made from precious stones. The three-dimensional crosses
that originate from northern Armenia are decorated with delicate carvings of
Christ and saints, lily flowers, grain-like ornaments and rosette bouquets.
The crosses on the pole can be divided into two types: movable and
immovable. In the first case they have a large base, short stick, sometimes
even a pilaster under the cross, and in some cases the cross-bearing circle
is based on two sticks. Probably precisely such crosses on a pole were
considered to be the crosses that were erected by Gregory the Illuminator
and King Trdat. A large part of these crosses was made from wood, and some
examples or some of their parts from iron.
Together with three-dimensional crosses, the cross compositions carved on
church structures, steles and memorials, were widespread. These compositions
provide an opportunity to restore the process of philosophical and
iconographical popularization of the cross in Armenia. Early Christian
propaganda in Armenia placed great importance as much in the oral and
written word, as in the image. The latter, in the first place, was intended
to target uneducated peasants and aimed to play the same role for them as
the book played for educated people. Another goal of the compositions was
the presentation of God's history and order through different carving
themes, images and symbols. But obvious issues were emerging with the
presentation of the basic idea of Christianity - Christ's salvational
crucifixion. It was difficult to present to the new believer a crucified but
still powerful god. To popularize the idea of salvation through crucifixion,
the Armenian Church chose to emphasize not the image (Christ) but the sign
(cross). Despite on this the sign alone could not tell much about the idea.
Detailed analysis shows that to make the prospect of salvational crucifixion
understandable, Armenian priests used allegories which were familiar to
agricultural societies: just as the grape becomes an "immortal" liquid after
squeezing, Christ poured his blood on the cross for the sins of the
humanity; just as the birds and animals enjoy themselves in the vineyards,
the true believers will enjoy heaven that will come as a result of the
crucifixion of Christ. Or, Christ's dogma itself is like a vineyard, and
Christ is like a grape, and with learning that dogma opens the road to
heaven. Thus, early cross compositions took on garden-grape iconography: the
cross is pictured as a new tree of life, which either grows in a vineyard,
or gives beginning to the vine, or bears Christ, his teaching and the vine
symbolizing the followers. This heaven-garden-grape understanding of the
cross became the basis of the khachkar composition.
