Stećci iz ArmenijeTombstones from Armenia

by Gorčin Dizdar

Armenija, danas zaboravljena država na maglovitim kavkaskim

granicama Evrope i Azije, nekada je bivala neuporedivo moćnija:

njeni vladari znali su upravljati teritorijom koji se prostirao od istoka

Anadolije do Mezopotamije, od Kavkaskih planina do Sredozemnog

mora, a njena nacionalna crkva, prva na svijetu, odigrala je jedinst-

venu ulogu u razvoju i širenju kršćanstva. Jedna Sveta Univerzalna

Apostolska Ortodoksna Armenska Crkva, kako se oficijelno naziva,

pripada takozvanim orijentalnim crkvama, što znači da se doktri-

narno razlikuje i od katoličanstva i od pravoslavlja. Davne 451. go-

dine, na Kalcedonskom saboru, Armenski kršćani odbili su se složiti

sa učenjem pape i Rimskog cara, po kojem je Isus Hrist imao dvije

prirode, i ljudsku i božju, insistirajući da su u Sinu Božjem te dvije

prirode postale jedno, po čemu su poznati kao monofiziti. Ovo naiz-

gled marginalno teološko pitanje bilo je dovoljno značajno da dovede

do prve velike podjele kršćanskog korpusa, na Rim i Bizant s jedne, te

Armence, Sirijce i Kopte s druge strane.

Ali monofizitstvo nije bila jedina hereza kojom su se „zarazili“ no-

torno samovoljni Armenci. Na razmeđi civilizacija, prošlosti duboko

ukorijenjene u perzijski zoroastrijanizam, Armenija je oduvijek bila

pravo leglo hereze. U VII vijeku, u Armeniji je nastalo pavlikijanstvo,

apostolski pokret sa primjesama gnostičkog dualizma, koji je vrlo

brzo stekao političke dimenzije, kulminirajući u uspostavljanju ne-

zavisne države u istočnoj Anadoliji što se preko 100 godina uspješno

odupirala moćnoj Bizantskoj armiji. Potom još jedan dokumentovani

heretički pokret, tondrakiti, učenja naizgled vrlo blikom pavlikijan-

stvu. Konačno, mesalijani, „molitelji“, poznati i kao entuzijasti ili

plesači, pokret koji je, istina, nastao u Siriji, ali je svoje anti-intelek-

tualno učenje, fokusirano na direktni doživljaj Boga molitvom ili

svetom igrom, vrlo uspješno proširio po dolinama armenskog gorja.

HISTORIJSKA POZADINABOS ->

In the past Armenia, now a forgotten country on the hazy Caucasian

borders of Europe and Asia, was incomparably more powerful: its

rulers governed a territory stretching from eastern Anatolia to Meso-

potamia, from the Caucasian mountains to the Mediterranean, while

its national church, the first in the world, played a unique role in the

development and spread of Christianity. The One Holy Universal Ap-

ostolic Orthodox Armenian Church, as it is officially called, belongs

to the so-called oriental churches, meaning that it differs in doctrine

from both Catholicism and Orthodoxy. In the year 451, at the Council

of Chalcedon, Armenian Christians refused to agree with the teach-

ings of the pope and the Roman Emperor, according to which Jesus

Christ had two natures, both human and divine, insisting that in the

Son of God those two natures merged into one, which is why they

are known as Monophysites. This apparently marginal theological

question was significant enough to lead to the first great division of

the Christian corpus, into Rome and Byzantium on one side, and the

Armenians, Syrians and Copts on the other.

But Monophysitism was not the only heresy that „infected“ the noto-

riously independent-minded Armenians. At the crossroads of civ-

ilizations, with a past deeply immersed in Persian Zoroastrianism,

Armenia has always been a true hotbed of heresy. In the 7th century,

a heresy known as Paulicianism developed in Armenia, an apostolic

movement with elements of Gnostic dualism that soon gained politi-

cal dimensions, culminating in the establishment of an independent

state in eastern Anatolia that resisted the powerful Byzantian army

for over 100 years. A second documented heretical movement, known

as Tondrakianism, apparently had a teaching very similar to that of

Paulicianism. Finally, the Messalians, the “praying ones”, also known

as the enthusiasts or dancers, a movement that originally emerged

HISTORICAL BACKGROUNDENG ->

Više puta, hiljade pripadnika ovih pokreta, prije svega militantih

pavlikijanaca – dokumentovano je sve to u bizantskim spisima – pre-

seljivano je na Balkan, na granice sa barbarskim Avarima, Bugari-

ma i Slavenima. Najviše u Philippopolis, današnji bugarski Plovdiv,

upravo tamo gdje je svoje viđenje Kristove vjere širio glasoviti pop

Bogomil... Ne iznenađuje činjenica da je Ana Komnina, učeni teolog

i kćerka bizantskog cara Alekseja I, u XI vijeku balkanske Bogumile

opisala upravo kao mješavinu pavlikijanstva i mesalijanstva!

To su bili neki od motiva i izazova zbog kojih sam se odlučio na puto-

vanje u Armeniju, nadajući se da će tamošnja srednjovjekovna um-

jetnost možda pružiti neke odgovore o kojima oskudni izvori uporno

šute... Ono što sam našao daleko je nadmašila moja očekivanja. Na

kraju, ipak, ostaje samo nijemi kamen i vječita pitanja o smislu i pori-

jeklu čovjekovog bivstvovanja na ovom svijetu...

BOS ->

in Syria, but with its anti-intellectual teaching, focused on a direct

experience of God through prayer or holy dance, found a multitude of

followers in the valleys of the Armenian highlands. More than once,

thousands of adherents of these movements, particularly the militant

Paulicians – it is all documented in Byzantine writings – were moved

to the Balkans, on the borders with the barbaric Avars, Bulgars and

Slavs. Mostly in the region of Philippopolis, today the Bulgarian city

of Plovdiv, exactly where the priest Bogomil would eventually spread

his vision of Christ’s faith… It is not surprising that Anna Komnene,

the famous scholar and daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Alexis I ,

writing in the 11th century, described the Balkan Bogomils precisely

as a mixture of Paulicianism and Messalianism!

Those were some of the motifs and challenges that caused my deci-

sion to travel to Armenia, hoping that its medieval art may provide

some answers to questions stubbornly ignored by written sources…

What I found surpassed my expectations by far. At the end, however,

what remains is but the numb stone and the eternal questions about

the meaning and origin of humankind’s existence in this world…

ENG ->

Najpoznatija armenska crkva Ahtamar, sagrađe-

na u X vijeku, nalazi se na malom otoku u Vans-

kom jezeru, u današnjoj jugoistočnoj Turskoj.

Gravure biblijskih motiva na njenim zidovima

spektakularno demonstriraju neadekvatnost on-

oga što uvijek važi kao zvanična historija umjet-

nosti, po kojoj „uspavani Istok“ nikada nije bio

sposoban za originalnost, dok je svaki auten-

tični impuls neminovno nastao na „kreativnom

Zapadu“. Tehničku virtuznost Ahtamara sredn-

jovjekovna zapadnoevropska skulptura dostigla

je tek nekih dvije stotine godina kasnije, tokom

perioda zrele Romanike i rane Gotike.

The most famous Armenian Church Aghtamar,

built in the 10th century, is located on a small

island in Lake Van in south-eastern Turkey.

The engravings of biblical motifs on its walls

spectacularly demonstrate the inadequacy of

what still counts as the official history of art,

according to which the „slumbering East“ was

never capable of originality, while every authen-

tic impulse inevitably emerged in the „creative

West“. The technical virtuosity of Aghtamar

was not reached by Western European medieval

sculpture until some two hundred years later,

during the periods of mature Romanesque and

Gothic art.

Svoj najautentičiniji proizvod armenska umjet-

nost nalazi u hačkarima, isklesanim hiljadama

puta u isto toliko varijacija, jer nijedan hačkar

nije imitacija već postojećeg, već vječita igra

umjetnika sa izuzetno ograničenim repertoar-

om motiva. Pojavivši se u IX vijeku kao gotovo

bezoblična kamena ploča sa jednostavno ukle-

sanim krstom, umjetnost hačkara doživjet će u

toku stoljeća nekoliko procvata, pa i neku vrstu

dekadencije pod uticajem arapsko-islamske

ornamentike. Ovi primjerci nalaze se u dvorištu

crkve Kečaris iz XI vijeka.

The most authentic product of Armenian art is

the khachkar, carved thousands of times in an

equal number of variations, because no khach-

kar is a copy of a pre-existing one, but an eter-

nal game of the artist with an extremely limited

repertoire of motifs. Emerging in the 9th cen-

tury as an almost amorphous stone plate with a

simply engraved cross, in the course of several

centuries the art of the khachkar experienced

several flourishings, and a kind of decadence

under the influence of Arabic/Islamic orna-

ments. These examples are found in the court-

yard of the Khecharis monastery, built in the

11th century.

Umjetnost hačkara duboko je vezana sa učen-

jem armenske crkve. Umjesto raspeća, koje tako

emfatično pokazuje Isusovu ljudskost, centralni

simbol monofizitske religije je Kristova trans-

figuracija, biblijski događaj u kojoj Sin Božji na

planini Tabor apostolima pokazuje svoju božan-

sku prirodu, pretvoriviši se u svjetlosni stub ili

krst. Krst dakle nije oruđe Isusovog mučeništ-

va, već simbol njegove božanske prirode. Na

mnogim hačkarima rubovi krsta pretvaraju se u

ljiljane, dopustivši nam da ovaj simbol tumači-

mo kao prodor božanskog u materiju.

The art of the khachkar is profoundly shaped by

the teachings of the Armenian Church. Instead

of the crucifixion, which so emphatically shows

Christ’s humanity, the central motif of the

monophysite religion is Jesus’s transfiguration,

a biblical event in which the Son of God shows

his divine nature to the apostles on Mount

Tabor, turning into a pillar or cross of light. The

cross is therefore not the tool of Jesus’s martyr-

dom, but a symbol of his divine nature. On nu-

merous khachkars, the edges of the crosses turn

into lilies, allowing us to interpret this symbol

as the infusion of divinity into matter.

U dvorištvu crkve Svete Marije iz XIV vijeka u

gradu Aštarak nalazi se niz nadgrobnih spome-

nika koji nisu hačkari, već bi se najprije dali

uporediti sa – bosanskim stećcima. Isti su to

karakteristični monolitni nadgrobnjaci, izrađeni

u lokalnom kamenu, sa jedinom razlikom da su

„krovovi“ armenskih stećaka zaobljeni a ne, kao

u slučajevu bosanskih, „na dvije vode“. Jed-

va vidljivi su i neki simboli, zapisi armenskim

alfabetom, te niz oblika koji možda asociraju

na kolo, taj najkarakterističniji motiv bosanski

stećaka.

In the courtyard of the 14th century Church

of St. Mary in the town of Ashtarak, there is a

series of gravestones that are not khachkars, but

could most easily be compared with – Bosnian

stećaks. They are the same kind of monolithic

sculptures, built in local stone, with the only dif-

ferences that the „roofs“ of the Armenian head-

stones are rounded and not, as in the case of the

Bosnian ones, sloping. Hardly noticeable are

some symbols, engravings in Armenian alpha-

bet, and a series of shapes that perhaps remind

us of the ring-dance, that most characteristic

motif of the Bosnian stećak.

Uz jezero Sevan u centralnoj Armeniji nalazi se

najveća i najpoznatija armenska srednjovjekov-

na nekropola Noratus, sa preko 800 očuvanih

hačkara. Na jednom kraju nekropole, zarasli

u travu, nalazi se i dvadesetak spomenika koje

lokalno stanovništvo naziva armenskom rječju

za bešiku – ororots. Pored mnogo prominentni-

jih hačkara, koji su neka vrsta armenskog nacio-

nalnog simbola, bešike su zanemarene i gotovo

potpuno nepoznate.

The biggest and most famous medieval Ar-

menian necropolis, with over 800 preserved

khachkars, is located next to Lake Sevan in cen-

tral Armenia. In one of its corners, overgrown

by grass, there are around twenty gravestones

referred to by the local population by the Ar-

menian word for a cradle – ororots. Besides the

much more prominent khachkars, which are a

kind of Armenian national symbol, the cradles

are neglected and almost completely unknown.

Jedna stvar je jasna: hačkari Noratusa su teh-

nički puno višeg kvaliteta nego bešike. Bešike

definitivno pripadaju onome što bismo nazvali

„naivnom“, dakle umjetnošću neopterećenu

konvencijama ili naturalizmom. Pa ipak, one

privlače pažnju barem kao historijski fenomen:

kako je moguće da se u komemoraciji mrtvih,

tom najkonzervativnijem aspektu ljudskog

djelovanja, odvije tako radikalna promjena, pa

ipak zadrži kontinuitet lokacije? Zar za takvu

revoluciju nije neophodna odgovarajuća prom-

jena svjetonazora, pa i cjelokupnog društve-

no-ekonomskog sistema? Rječju, ne nalazimo li

u bešikama neku vrstu umjetničke hereze?

One thing is clear: the khachkars of Noratus are

technically of a much higher quality than the

cradles. The cradles definitely belong to what

we would describe as „naive,“ that is art unbur-

dened by conventions and naturalism. Never-

theless, they attract attention at least as an his-

torical phenomenon: how is it possible for such

a radical change to occur in the commemoration

of the dead, that most conservative aspect of hu-

man activities, without abandoning a continuity

of place with the past? Does such a revolution

not require a corresponding shift of the under-

lying world-view, or the entire socio-economic

system? In a word, do the cradles not represent

a kind of artistic heresy?

Čudnovato sekularno djeluju neki od motiva na

bešikama. Sjetimo se i ovdje tvrdnji tradiciona-

lne historije umjetnosti, koja početke moderne

sekularne umjetnosti bez dvoumljenja locira

u Zapadnoj Evropi. Na ovoj bešici vidimo vrlo

specifičan prikaz oranja, poljoprivredne teh-

nologije koja je u toku Srednjeg vijeka doživjela

značajne inovacije. Da li je ta tehnologija u živo-

tu ovog čovjeka i njegove sredine donijela tako

temeljite promjene da je zaslužila da bude ovje-

kovječena na njegovom nadgrobnom kamenu?

U svakom slučaju ostajemo zatečeni prisustvom

ovako prozaičnog detalja u sred ovog beskrajnog

polja božanskih krstova...

Some of the motifs on the cradles appear

strangely secular. Let us remember once again

the claims of traditional history of art, accord-

ing to which the beginning of modern secular

art can without doubt be located in Western

Europe. This cradle shows a very specific de-

piction of ploughing, an agricultural technology

that experienced significant innovations in the

course of the Middle Ages. Has this technology

brought such fundamental changes in the life of

this man and his environment that it deserved

to be displayed on his gravestone? In any case

we remain astounded by the presence of such

a secular detail in midst of an endless field of

divine crosses...

Kakva pak razigranost na ovoj najveličanst-

venijoj bešici Noratusa! Daleko smo sada od

mističke koncentracije na jedan jedini simbol

koji obuhvata cjelokupni univerzum. Ovaj klesar

toliko je fokusiran na nastojanje da na površinu

nadgrobnog spomenika smjesti toliko detalja da

je sa lijeve strane doslovno probio okvir nam-

jenjen epigramu. Nisu li ovo koraci koji čine

umjetničke revolucije? Gotovo da je nepotrebno

dalje tumačiti sadržaj ovog djela: njegovo bogat-

stvo je toliko da svaki posmatrač od njega može

satkati vlastitu priču...

What playfulness on this most magnificent

cradle of Noratus! Here we are very far from

a mystical concentration on a single symbol

encompassing the entire universe. This artist

was so focussed on the attempt to incorporate

as many details as possible on the surface of

the gravestones that on the left side he literally

broke the frame intended for an epigram. Are

these not steps that make up an artistic revolu-

tion? It is almost unnecessary to further inter-

pret the contents of this artistic work: its wealth

of details is so extensive that every viewer can

use it to embroider their own story...

Pored bešika, u Armeniji nalazimo još jedan

tip nadgrobnog spomenika poznatog u Bosni,

ali i zapadnoj Evropi: jednostavnu horizontal-

nu kamenu ploču. Ponekad ploča i hačkar čine

jedinstven spomenik, pokrivajući jedan grob.

Mnoge ploče su potpuno nedekorisane, ali neke

su ukrašene jednostavnim obrisom čovjeka,

takozvanom antropomorfnom nišom, motivom

takođe poznatom sa stećaka. Samo rijetke niše

obogaćen su detaljima koji nagovještavaju ljuds-

ko tijelo, kao ovo tek u krajnjim obrisima vidlji-

vo lice.

Besides cradles, in Armenia it is possible to find

another type of gravestone known in Bosnia,

but also in Western Europe: a simple horizontal

slab. Sometimes a slab and a khachkar make up

a single monument, covering one grave. Numer-

ous slabs are completely undecorated, but some

are embellished with a simple outline of a man

or woman, a so-called anthropomorphic niche,

a motif also known from the stećak stones. Only

some niches are enriched with details that indi-

cate a human being, like this face visible only in

bare outlines.

Pored prikaza osobe sa prekrštenim rukama, na

ovoj bešici su i tri karakteristična motiva: vrč za

vino, muzički instrument ud te armenska lepina

lavaš u glinenoj peći poznatoj kao t’onir. Kruh i

vino dva su nezaobilazna elementa najsvetijeg

čina kršćanske liturgije – euharistije, pri kojoj

sveštenik uprisutnjuje žrtvu Sina Božjeg, pret-

varajući ih u Isusovo tijelo i krv. Ipak, ravno-

pravno prisustvo uda ovu kompoziciju izuzima

iz okvira strogo pravovjernog kršćanstva: suoče-

ni smo, možda, sa tek lokalnom varijacijom na

temu liturgije a, u krajnjem, sa namjernim bri-

sanjem granica između sakralnog i sekularnog...

Besides a person with crossed arms, this cradle

displays three characteristic motifs: a wine jar,

the musical instrument oud and the Armenian

flatbread lavash in a clay oven known as t’onir.

The bread and the wine are two essential ele-

ments of the most sacred act of the Christian

liturgy – the Eucharist, in which the priest

causes the presence of the Son of God by turn-

ing them into his body and blood. Nevertheless,

the presence of the oud takes this composition

outside of the limits of strictly orthodox Christi-

anity: we are faced, perhaps, by nothing else but

a local variation of the liturgy, but, in another

interpretation, with a deliberate erasure of the

limits between the sacred and the secular...

Druga značajnija skupina bešika nalazi se u

dvorištu Crkve Svete Bogorodice u selu Areni,

gdje su se, prema legendi, nakon potopa naselili

Noa i njegovi sinovi. Ova crkva, posvećena 1321.

godine, bila je značajan intelektualni centar Ar-

menije, a njen graditelj je najpoznatiji srednjov-

jekovni armenski minijaturist i skulptor Momik

Vardpet. Momikova majstorska ruka vidljiva je

možda i na ovdašnjim bešikama, koje su teh-

nički i kompozicijski na mnogo višem nivou od

onih u Noratusu. Na ovoj bešici prikazana su

dva lika koji djeluju kao monasi; jedan je udu-

bljen u meditaciju dok drugi posmatraču nudi

lavaš i vino.

A second significant collection of cradles can be

found in the Church of the Holy Mother of God

in the village Areni, where, according to legend,

Noah and his sons settled after the flood. This

church, consecrated in 1321, was a significant

intellectual centre of Armenia, and its builder is

the most famous medieval Armenian miniature

painter and sculptor Momik Vardpet. Momik’s

experise can perhaps be seen on the local cra-

dles, which are, in terms of technique and com-

position, on a much higher level than those in

Noratus. This cradle shows two characters that

appear to be monks; one is sunk into meditation

while the other one is offering the viewer lavash

and wine.

Iako su i na ovoj bešici prisutni sakramental-

ni lavaš i vino, jasno je da se ne radi o prikazu

crkvene liturgije. Svirač uda na lijevoj, kao i

osedlani konj na desnoj strani bešike navode

na zaključak da je ovdje možda zakopan

ašik, pjesnik koji je, nalik zapadnoevropskim

trubadurima, putovao kavkaskim predjelima

na kojima su se mješali uticaji perzijske, turske,

armenske i gruzijske kulture. Ipak, unutar vrča

prikazan je simbol sunca ili rotirajućeg dis-

ka, obilježje božanskog, ukazujući na nebesko

porijeklo muzike i poezije. I Sayat Nova, na-

jpoznatiji kavkaski ašik, koji je živio u 18. stol-

jeću, sredinom života zaređen je za sveštenika

armenske crkve...

Although the sacramental lavash and wine are

present on this cradle as well, it is clear that

what is displayed here is not a liturgical service.

The oud player on the left, as well as the sad-

dled horse on the right side of the cradle lead

to the conclusion that the person buried under-

neath this stone was an ashik, a poet who, just

like Western European troubadours, travelled

the Caucasian lands where the influences of

the Persian, Turkish, Armenian and Georgian

cultures mixed for centuries. Nevertheless, what

is shown inside the jar is the symbol of the sun

or rotating disc, a sign of God, indicating the

divine origin of music and poetry.

Nabori odjeće, individualizirane crte lice kao i

naturalizam konja pokazuju da su bešike Areni-

ja daleko od naivnosti Noratusa, predstavljajući

zaseban umjetnički fenomen sa razrađenim

principima kompozicije. Ipak, i u ovom slučaju

primjetna je slobodoumnost umjetnika, koji

je žrtvovao cjelovitost okvira namijenjenog

epigramu u korist inkorporiranja jahača prika-

zanog na lijevoj strani. Zanimljivo je da je kom-

pozicija u potpunosti lišena vjerskih motiva,

dok je društveni status učenjaka sugeriran svit-

kom u desnoj ruci jednog od prikazanih likova.

The folds on the clothing, the individualized

facial lines and the naturalism of the horse show

that the cradles of Areni are far from the na-

iveté of Noratus, representing a separate artis-

tic phenomenon with developed principles of

composition. Nevertheless, in this case we can

also identify the individualism of the artist, who

sacrificed the completeness of the frame intend-

ed for an epigram in favour of incorporating the

rider shown on the left side. It is interesting to

note that the composition is free of any religious

motifs, while the social status of the scholar is

indicated by the scroll in the right hand of one

of the displayed individuals.

Široke mogućnosti interpretacije nudi jed-

nostavna kompozicija od tri elementa: konja,

svirača uda i rotirajućeg diska. Da li je to slika

čovjekove prirode, zarobljene u vječitom dual-

izmu životinjskog i božanskog? Zašto je božans-

ko prikazano simbolom sunca, koje armensko

kršćanstvo dijeli sa zoroastrijanizmom? Jedan

mogući odgovor nalazimo u djelima kršćanskog

mistika Pseudo-Dionizija Areopagita: „veliko,

sjajno, uvijek svijetlo sunce je očigledan simbol

božanske dobrote, daleki odjek Dobrog. Ono

obasjava sve što je u stanju prihvatiti njegovo

svjetlo pa ipak nikada ne izgubi punoću svoje

svjetlosti. Ono šalje svoje sjajne zrake širom

cjelokupnog vidljivog svijeta, i ako ima nešto što

ih ne primi, to nije greška sunca, već onoga što

nije u stanju uživati njegovu svjetlost.“

A simple composition of three elements – a horse,

an oud player and a rotating disc – offers wide pos-

sibilities of interpretation. Is it an image of human

nature, trapped in the eternal duality of the animal

and the divine? Why is the divine shown through

the symbol of the sun, shared between Armenian

Christianity and Zoroastrianism? A possible answer

is found in the works of the Christian mystic Pseu-

do-Dionysius the Areopagite: „the great, shining,

always bright sun is an obvious symbol of divine

virtue, a distant echo of the Good. It shines on

everything that is capable of receiving its light, yet

never loses the fullness of its light. It sends its bright

rays around the entire visible world, and if there is

anything that does not receive them, it is a mistake

not of the sun, but of the one who is incapable of

enjoying its light.“

Zaseban duh i, koliko god naivan, ipak iz-

ražen vlastiti stil nalazimo u nekoliko bešika

sela Agitu na jugu Armenije. Nalik dječjem

crtežu, tri ljudska lika i neka domaća životinja

– konj, krava ili pas? – živahno nas posmatra-

ju, prenoseći svoje nesumnjivo dobre namjere

izrazito jednostavnim stilskim sredstvima.

Predimenziorane oči i ruke podignute u pozdrav

iz vječnosti – ili molitvu? – dovoljna su poruka

pokopanih ispod ovog kamena. Neobičan način

prikazivanja očiju, dva nepravilna koncentrična

kruga, pojavljuje se na još nekoliko bešika ovog

kraja i možda ukazuje na neku lokalnu tjelesnu

specifičnost ili čak i zaseban etnički identitet.

A different spirit, and, no matter how naive, a

clearly expressed individual style can be seen on

several cradles in the village Aghitu in the south

of Armenia. Like in a child’s drawing, three

persons and a domestic animal – a horse, cow

or dog? – are observing us in a lively manner,

transmitting their undoubtedly good intentions

through very simple stylistic means. Oversized

eyes and hands raised into a greeting from eter-

nity – or a prayer? – are a sufficient message of

the persons buried underneath this stone. The

unusual way of depicting eyes, using two irreg-

ular concentric circles, also appears on other

cradles of this area and may indicate a local

physical specificity or even a separate ethnic

identity.

U blizini iranske granice nalazi se manastir

Vorotnavank, sagrađen 1000. godine. Bešike

Vorotnavanka dijele neke stilske sličnosti sa

Agituom, ali su mnogo bogatije apstraktnim

simbolima. Ponovo nailazimo na vrlo prisan

odnos sa životinjama, u kojem je ipak jasna

čovjekova dominantna pozicija. Moglo bi se čak

tvrditi da je na ovoj bešici prikazana scena lova.

Ipak, sa desne strane prikazan je veliki pleter,

simbol vječnosti mnogo bliži Indiji i istoku nego

Rimu i zapadu. Kako tumačiti tako neposrednu

blizinu sasvim različitih sistema vizuelne komu-

nikacije? Da li je ovdje prikazan jedan svakod-

nevni trenutak ili čitava božanska vječnost?

The monastery Vorotnavank, built in the year

1000, is located close to the Iranian border. The

cradles of Vorotnavanak share certain stylistic

features with Aghitu, but are much richer in

abstract symbols. Once again we encounter a

very close relationship with animals, in which

man’s dominant role is nevertheless clear. It

could even be argued that this cradle depicts

a hunting scene. Yet, on the right side there is

a large interlaced ribbon, a symbol of eternity

much closer to India and the East than to Rome

and the West. How can this close proximity of

completely different systems of visual commu-

nication be explained? Does this cradle show a

quotidian moment or the entire divine eternity?

Za ovu bešiku, i stilski i sadržajno, najlakše bi

se moglo pomisliti da se nalazi u Bosni. Luk i

strijela u ruci čovjeka i dvije isprepletene zmije

neminovno nameću tumačenje borbe dobra i

zla. Kako maleno djeluje čovjek i njegovo oružje

u odnosu na nadmoćno zlo! U srednjovjekov-

nom zapadnom kršćanstvu, strijelac je smatran

nečasnim zanimanjem – Četvrti Luteranski sab-

or 1215. čak ga je, neuspješno, pokušao zabrani-

ti! – pa ga je gotovo nemoguće naći u tamošnjoj

vjerskoj umjetnosti. Ovdje pak, na granicama

moćne Perzije, armenski sveštenici sigurno su

cijenili značaj strijelca za vlastito preživljavan-

je. Toliko da je on mogao poslužiti i kao simbol

njihove unutrašnje borbe sa zlom.

This cradle, in terms of both style and contents,

could most easily be mistaken for a Bosnian

stećak. The bow and arrow in the man’s hand

and two interlaced snakes inevitably lead to

the interpretation of a struggle between good

and evil. How small is the man and his weap-

on in comparison with the overwhelming evil!

In medieval Western Christianity, archery was

considered a dishonourable occupation – the

Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 even tried to ban

it! – so that it is almost impossible to find it in

its religious art. Here, however, on the borders

of mighty Persia, Armenian priests surely val-

ued the significance of the archer for their own

survival. So much that he could also serve as a

symbol of their own internal struggle with evil.

Na bešici ugrađenoj u zid manastira Norotna-

vank prikazani su sunčani disk sačinjen od de-

vet zraka, piramidalna struktura sagrađena od

sedam nivoa, i rozeta koja se sastoji od šest lat-

ica: da li u ovim brojevima možemo tražiti neko

dublje, simboličko značenje? Jedno moguće

tumačenje: božansko, čija suština čovjeku ostaje

nedokučiva, prenosi se preko devet anđeoskih

horova: kerubina, serafima, prijestolja, gos-

podstava, sila, vlasti, vrhovništva, arhanađela i

anđela. Šestog dana, Bog je stvorio čovjeka, koji

se otuđio od svog tvorca. Uzevši čovječji lik, Bog

osniva sedam prvobitnih crkava, omogućivši

čovjeku da prevaziđe jaz koji je nastao između

Njega i ljudi.

A cradle incorporated into the wall of the mon-

astery of Norotnavank shows a sun disc made

up of nine rays, a pyramidal structure construct-

ed of seven levels, and a rosette consisting of six

petals: can we discern a deeper, symbolic signif-

icance from these numbers? A possible inter-

pretation: the divinity, whose essence remains

inaccessible to man, is transmitted through nine

angelic choirs: Cherubim, Seraphim, Thrones,

Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities,

Archangels and Angels. On the sixth day, God

created man, who caused his alienation from his

creator. By taking a human form, God creates

the first seven churches, enabling man to over-

come the gap between Him and humankind.

Na još jednoj granici Armenije, sjevernoj, u bliz-

ini manastira Sanahin, antropomorfna niša na-

jviše se približila prikazu pojedinca, određenog

nizom predmeta na njemu i oko njega i she-

matski naznačenim crtama lica, ruku i nogu.

U ovom slučaju, ti predmeti su mač, nož i ud,

govoreći mnogo o osobi zakopanoj ispod ovog

kamena. Pored glave, prikazani su već poznati

motivi vrča vina i lavaša, obilježja euharistije,

po učenju crkve najznačajnijeg osiguranja čovje-

kovog spasenja.

On another Armenian border, in the north,

close to the monastery Sanahin, the anthropo-

morphic niche has made the closest approach to

a personalized image, created through a series

of items on and around the displayed figure, as

well as the schematically indicated facial lines,

hands and feet. In this case, those items are a

sword, a knife and an oud, saying a lot about

the person buried underneath this stone. Next

to the head, we can see the familiar motifs of a

wine jar and lavash, symbols of the Eucharist,

according to the Church the most significant

guarantee of man’s ultimate salvation.

Pod manastira Sanahin, sagrađenog u desetom

vijeku, prekriven je nadgrobnim pločama, u

većini slučajeva ukrašenih antropomorfnim

nišama. Monasi su ovaj oblik pokopavanja sma-

trali posljednim činom poniznosti pred bogom,

dozvolivši vjernicima da hodaju preko njihovih

grobova. Kako će po zvaničnom učenju crkve

na Sudnjem danu biti oživljeno i tijelo, kosti

onih za koje se vjeruje da su zaslužili raj imaju

poseban značaj za preživjele. Boravak u njihovoj

blizini kršćanima, posebno u Srednjem vijeku,

davao je magičan doživljaj bliskosti božanskog.

The floor of the monastery Sanahin, built in

the 10th century, is covered with slabs, mostly

decorated with anthropomorphic niches. The

monks regarded this form of burial as the final

act of humility before God, allowing believers to

walk on their graves. As according to the official

teaching of the church the body will be resur-

rected on Judgment Day, the bones of those

believed to have merited heaven has a particu-

lar significance for the survivors. The presence

in their proximity gave Christians, particularly

during the Middle Ages, a magical experience of

divine proximity.

Sasvim netipično, na ovoj nadgrobnoj ploči

samo jedan element, noge, izbočene su, dajući

tehnici plitkog reljefa veću prostornu dubinu.

Nesumnjivo je da su vjerski tabui – kršćanska

poniznost i strah od idolopoklonstva, a ne teh-

nička nesposobnost u Armeniji spriječili razvoj

ovog medija ka većem naturalizmu. U kasnoj

srednjovijekovnoj i renesansnoj zapadnoj Ev-

ropi, nadgrobna ploča razvijena je do iluzion-

ističkog savršenstva, potpunih skulpturalnih

figura preminulih, pa i morbidne sjevernoev-

ropske mode isklesanih tijela u raspadu. Bilo

je to, naravno, jedno sasvim drugo kršćanstvo

unutar kojeg je ovaj razvoj bio moguć...

Atypically, on this slab only one element, the

feet, is protruding, giving the technique of

low-relief a larger spatial depth. It is beyond

doubt that religious taboos – Christian humility

and fear of idolatry, rather than technical inabil-

ity prevented the development of this medium

towards greater naturalism in Armenia. In late

medieval and Renaissance Western Europe,

the grave slab was developed to an illusionistic

perfection, complete effigies of the buried, and

even the morbid northern European fashion

of carved decaying bodies. It was, of course, an

utterly different Christianity in which this devel-

opment occurred...

Na granici sa Turskom, u blizini planine Ararat,

nekoliko sela naseljavaju Jezidi, etnički Kurdi.

Jezidska religija mješavina je zoroastrijskih

korijena i snažnih sufijskih uticaja. Često su op-

tuživani za sotonizam, jer vjeruju da je Iblis ili

Satanel postupio pravilno kada se odbio klanjati

čovjeku. Svoje mrtve pokopavaju u grobove na-

lik kućama, a neki prate stariji običaj ostavljanja

tijela preminulih kao hranu pticama... Usaml-

jen, na groblju se nalazi jedan kamen u obliku

konja, u blizini leže još dva razbijena.

On the border with Turkey, close to Mount

Ararat, a few villages are inhabited by Yazidis,

ethnic Kurds. The Yazidi religion is a mixture of

Zoroastrian roots and strong Sufi influences. Of-

ten they were accused of Satanism due to their

belief that Iblis or Satanael did the right thing

by refusing to bow to man. The Yazidis bury

their dead in graves that look like houses, while

some of them follow the older custom of leaving

the corpses out for the birds to eat... Lonely, in

one graveyard there is a gravestone in the shape

of a horse, nearby there are two other ones, bro-

ken into pieces.

Ispred muzeja u gradu Sisian stoji čitavo stado

nadgrobnih spomenika – ovnova. Ispisani i ara-

pskim i armenskim pismom, ukrašeni i krstovi-

ma i islamskim ornamentima i neodređenim

simbolima, oni tvrdoglavno negiraju ustaljene

granice navodno neminovno sukobljenih civ-

ilizacija. Ovnovi Sisiana skupljeni su iz južnih

dijelova Armenije, ali mogu se još naći i u Gruz-

iji i u istočnoj Turskoj.

In front of the museum in the town of Sisian,

there is an entire herd of gravestones in the

shape of rams. Carved with Arabic and Arme-

nian letters, decorated with crosses, Islamic

ornaments and undecipherable symbols, they

stubbornly negate the customary borders be-

tween allegedly inevitably conflicting civiliza-

tions. The rams of Sisian were collected from

the southern parts of Armenia, but other ones

can also be found in Georgia and eastern Tur-

key.

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