History and iconography of Grigor Narekats i’s vision
https://doi.org/10.22394/2412-9410-2023-9-3-174-189
Abstract
The great Armenian poet Grigor Narekatsi (Gregory of Narek; venerated as a saint of the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic Churches and declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Francis in 2015) was canonized and numbered among the saints of the Armenian Church thanks to his poem “Book of Lamentations”. His Vita, rich with tales about his miracles, arose within the framework of medieval Armenian literature. One of the most striking episodes of his Life is the legend which tells that one day during self-forgetful prayer, in a vision Narekatsi saw the Mother of God holding the Christ Child in her arms. As confirmation of the historical veracity of Narekatsi’s vision lines from his works are cited in the Vita. This episode from the Life was widely disseminated by means of oral retelling and was also presented as a separate wonder narrative. At the same time, among the images related to Narekatsi, his vision has also been illustrated more than any other, both in Armenian manuscripts and in the engravings in early printed books. The article traces the gradual development of this iconographic form, from the marginal and page miniatures of the manuscripts to the engravings of the two printed commentaries (1745, 1801) dedicated to the “Book of Lamentations”.
Keywords
Grigor Narekatsi,
“Book of Lamentations”,
Christ Child,
the Holy Mother of God,
vision,
iconography,
Armenian manuscripts,
engravings of early printed books
Supporting agencies: The work was supported by the Science Committee of RA, within the framework of research project № 21T-6B141.
About the Authors
V. Devrikyan
Institute of Literature after M. Abeghyan of National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia
Vardan Devrikyan - Doctor of Philology Director
15 Grigor Lusavorich Str., Yerevan 0015
Tel.: +374 (10)563254
Sh. Devrikyan
Institute of Arts of National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia
Shoghakat Devrikyan - PhD Student
Yerevan 0019, Republic of Armenia, 24c Marshal Baghramian Ave
Tel.: +374 (10)583702
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Review
For citations:
Devrikyan V., Devrikyan Sh. History and iconography of Grigor Narekats i’s vision. Shagi / Steps. 2023;9(3):174-191. https://doi.org/10.22394/2412-9410-2023-9-3-174-189
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