Small mural khachkars in medieval Armenian communities of Crimea, Galicia, Podolia, and Bessarabia

Patrick Donabédian (1)

1 LA3M - Laboratoire d'Archéologie Médiévale et Moderne en Méditerranée

Simultaneously with the category of monumental khachkars, Armenia has elaborated, since the beginning of the history of this art - the second half of the 9th century, a “minor” type of small, mural khachkars. This type became particularly characteristic for diaspora communities. Among them, one of the most active centers where such small plates with a cross – tree of life were produced was Crimea, especially, in the 14th-16th c., the town of Caffa (Theodossia). Crimean mural khachkars, often made of marble, have their specific features, and exerted a marked influence on the production of other Armenian communities of the region, notably in Galicia, Podolia, and Bessarabia.

Keywords: Crimea; Armenian art; Khachkar; Medieval sculpture; Armenian diaspora; Ukraine; Medieval art and architecture; Bessarabia; Podolia; Galicia

Keywords: Khatchkar

Domains: Art and art history; Humanities and Social Sciences

Patrick Donabédian. Small mural khachkars in medieval Armenian communities of Crimea, Galicia, Podolia, and Bessarabia. На межi мiж Сходом i Заходом. On the borderline between the East and the West. Materials of the International conference dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Y. DASHKEVYCH, Dec 2016, Lviv/Lvov, Ukraine. pp.324-335. ⟨halshs-01933957⟩