Lecture by Nazénie Garibian: Creating Christian Sacred Spaces: The Armenian Case (4th–7th Centuries)

This lecture offers a case study on the creation of Christian sacred spaces in Armenia, from its official conversion at the beginning of the 4th century to the definitive establishment of Arab rule at the end of the 7th century. This is a complex and turbulent transitional period for all of Christendom, during which the gradual transformation of the religious landscape is carried out through the marking of both physical grounds and human minds, conceived as a single space of the Church. Accordingly, any theological concept relating to the Church in its universal and eternal sense becomes applicable to this space. However, Christianity was adopted in Armenia largely by adapting to the existing political and social structures, as well as to the previous local religious traditions. Moreover, the fluctuating historical conditions inherent to the contact zones between the Roman/Byzantine and Iranian worlds profoundly shaped the formation of Armenian Christian identity and thought. All these factors largely defined the specificities of the concept and architectural organization of Armenian sanctuaries in the period under consideration.

The lecture will be held via Zoom

For more information https://maryjahariscenter.org/events/creating-christian-sacred-spaces