RELIGIOUS ART

ART, METAPHYSICS AND THE HEALING POWERS OF RELIGION IN EARLY CHRISTIAN ARTS.

THE KATCHKARS  

Photo: Katchkar, circa 1023 at the Haghbat Monastery.

The most recognizable early Christian artart is the traditional stone carving. The carving of Khatchkars is an artistic Armenian tradition. An Armenian trademark and monopoly. Khatchkar, literally means "cross-stone"; khatch means cross  and “kar” means  stone.  It refers to an upright basalt stone resting on  a rectangular base with its back facing eastward. It is a slab of stone  incorporating various patterns of carved crosses with inscriptions and  different designs pertaining to various epochs. The front of the basalt stab is always hosting a large cross carved in the center and surrounded with elaborate designs and symmetrical designs that vary from one katchkar to another. Each single katchkar is unique in its design, carving style and geometrical form. There are thousands and thousands of them in all sizes, forms, shapes and heights, ranging from two feet to nine feet plus. The small size katchkars are usually found carved or placed into churches and cathedrals walls, incorporated into niches or placed at church doorways. The larger ones are found everywhere. Many of them were  used as gravestones, tomb steles  and  monuments to commemorate events, completion of churches, military victories, life passages, to immortalize important events and achievements,  commemorate the liberation of lands and territories which were captured and usurped by the enemies, the re-capture of a city lost to hostile conquering foreign power, completion of churches, etc.. Most commonly, Khatchkars were used as religious monuments to commemorate the dead.

Traditionally the deceased was buried in the tomb with the head directed toward the east, in the direction of a Khatchkar which was placed at his/her feet. Almost all katchkars, small and large include the name of the artist who carved the stone, the date he completed the work, the occasion or reason for which the slab was erected, as well as the name of the person, persons or family who commissioned the carving work, similar to the tradition that accompanied the illuminated manuscripts paintings. Thousands of these stone slabs still exist today in  Armenia,Turkey, Isfahan and Jerusalem. Katchkars are not the first carved stones in Armenia. In the pre-historic times of Armenia, sculptured stones existed in the form of a very large and free-standing stone monuments of various forms and designs, usually taking the shape of a fish. They were called: Vishaps,  and were referred to as the “dragon stones”. They were regularly found nearby creeks, lakes, rivers and fountains due to their religious and worshiping relationship with water. In fact, early Armenians worshiped Astghik, the goddess of water. Vishaps can still be found in Erevan, nearby Arayr, Mt. Aragats and  mountain Geghama.