Chapter XVIII: Ani, and the Armenian Kingdom of the Middle Ages (3)

Just below the standpoint of this picture are situated the
remains of the outer wall which encircled the peninsula. At
the extremity of the figure stands a tower, which is concealed
by the lie of the ground. But portions of the wall are visible
in the illustration; and it appears to have extended along the
valley of the Alaja in a northerly direction, and to have been
joined to the outer fortifications of the city on the side of
the plain. Where I examined the masonry of this wall I found it
faced on both sides, and 3 feet 4 inches in thickness. Issuing
from the citadel or inner fortress, we examined the substructures
of a curious building which had been recently brought to light
by Mr. Marr. But the length of this notice warns me that I must
confine it to a description of the monuments which are still erect.

Let us therefore retrace our steps in the direction of the town,
keeping as close as we may to the ravine of the Alaja, the ancient
Tsaghkotzadzor or Vale of Flowers. On the summit of the cliff, in
full view of the city, rises a circular building with a drum-shaped
dome and a conical roof. Of this edifice, the chapel of St. Gregory
(No. 5), I am able to present three photographs, one of the east
side (Fig. 85), another of the entrance on the west (Fig. 86),
and a third of the interior (Fig. 87). It is a charming little
monument, which, like the cathedral, blends elements of Byzantine
and Gothic art. But the niche is here again a prominent feature,
a feature dear to the architecture of the East. The body of the
edifice is polygonal rather than circular, having no less than
twelve sides. Of these six are recessed, the niches facing the town
being framed by ornamental arches with classical cornices. The six
niches correspond with the same number of cavities in the design of
the interior. Although the inside diameter is not more than about
30 feet, including these cavities, [361] yet the impression as you
enter the chapel is one of space and height. Especially remarkable
is the great depth of the dome. Traces of paintings may be observed
upon the walls. Two small vaulted chambers have been built into the
wall on the east side, and are now in a ruinous condition. They
are seen in the illustration on either side of the window. They
may have served the purpose of sepulchral chambers, of which
there are also vestiges outside the building upon the north side.

We learn from the inscriptions that the chapel was dedicated
to St. Gregory; and it is a work of the period of the Armenian
kings. It seems to have been used as a place of burial by the
Pahlavuni or Pahlavid family, which furnished some of the most
illustrious names in Armenian history. The great noble who led the
faction which was opposed to the cession of Ani to the Byzantines
was a Pahlavid, Vahram. He met his death in battle against the
Beni-Cheddad of Dvin in A.D. 1047. Embodying as he did the policy
of resistance à outrance both to Mussulmans and Greeks, he has
been the idol of Armenian patriotism. The name of this hero figures
in the inscription over the door, which, although without a date,
is probably assignable to him. He bestows the revenue of certain
shops upon the church of St. Gregory to defray the cost of masses
for the soul of his son Apughamir. In the same place have been
found inscriptions of the mother of Vahram, the lady Shushan,
making over certain revenues to the same church and recording
the number of the masses obtained in return. She is styled the
wife of the prince Grigor. But a date is happily forthcoming to
elucidate the identity of these personages. It is furnished by a
long inscription of no less than fourteen lines upon the north
wall. Record is made that in the year of the Armenian era 489
(A.D. 1040) Aplgharib, prince of Armenia, erected a sepulchre
in this place [362] for his father Grigor, of whom he describes
himself as the youngest son, for his brother Hamzeh, and for his
maternal uncle Seda. Masses are to be said for his mother Shushan,
for his father Grigor, for his maternal uncle Seda, and for his
brother Hamzeh. I cannot help thinking that the sepulchre referred
to is represented by the remains which I observed upon the north
side of this building. And the vaulted chambers in the east wall
may be the tombs of Grigor and his wife Shushan, an inscription
over the highly decorated window on that side being a prayer to
Christ for mercy upon Grigor. [363]

A question of great interest with reference to this building is
whether it may be regarded as the same church which is mentioned by
the historians as a work of King Gagik I. We are informed by Samuel
of Ani that in the year 447 (A.D. 998) a church of St. Gregory was
completed by this monarch in the Tsaghkotzadzor. The same event
is recorded in the pages of Kirakos, who gives the same date,
and describes the situation as overlooking the Valley of the
Tsaghkotz. [364] Asoghik tells us that it was built on the model
of a large church at Vagharshapat, dedicated to the same saint,
which had fallen into ruin. He adds that the edifice of King Gagik
was built on a high platform on the side of the Tsaghkotz, and
in possession of an admirable view. He speaks of three doorways
and of the marvellous dome, reproducing the appearance of the
sky. [365] I did not observe more than one door to this edifice,
and perhaps the church which is referred to by these authorities
was some larger building in the immediate neighbourhood which
has disappeared.

The chapel of St. Gregory invites comparison with another monument
of the same order in the opposite quarter of the town (No. 6,
Fig. 88). [366] My illustration was taken from the north. The
design is less elaborate and the dimensions are rather larger,
the dome especially having a much greater span. But the effect
produced by the interior lacks the magic of the companion
building, while the symmetry is marred by the recess for the
altar on the east side. This building will not endure for many
years longer, unless steps be taken to save it from falling
in. The lower portions are in a state of advanced decay. The
ornament on the exterior closely resembles that employed upon
the cathedral. Inscriptions bristle upon the panels of the false
arcades. One records that in the year 483 (A.D. 1034) the prince
Aplgharib, having journeyed to Constantinople by order of Sembat
Shahanshah, obtained with great difficulty and at considerable
expense a piece of the Holy Cross. Upon his return he built this
church, and directed that nightly services should be held within
it until the coming of Christ. The name of Surb-Phrkich, or church
of the Redeemer, is given in this and the following inscription,
and may be applied either to this chapel or to some neighbouring
church with which it was in connection. A second inscription
belongs to the Armenian year 490 (A.D. 1041), and mentions the
contemporary reign of Sembat, son of Gagik Shahanshah. [367] The
chapel of the Redeemer is therefore the work of the same Pahlavid,
Aplgharib, who built the sepulchres to the chapel of St. Gregory,
and it belongs to the period of the kings. [368]

Continuing our walk along the cliff above the valley of the
Alaja, we pass a lofty mound, surmounted by the ruin of a wall
(No. 31). The old priest was of opinion that it denotes the site
of the priestly synod house, where endowments were received and
other business of the Church transacted. A little further, and
west of this mound we stay to examine a small chapel which has
been hollowed out of a solid mass of rock. But our attention is
distracted from this fantastic object by the walls and yawning
apartments of the castle (No. 12, Fig. 89). It is situated in
the extreme north-western angle of the town, where the ravine of
the Alaja is joined by the side-ravine already mentioned in the
description of the site. My photograph displays the southern side
of this extensive edifice and the junction of the valleys. The
entrance is on the east and faces the town (Fig. 90). You admire
the exquisite masonry of the walls and the elaborate decoration
of the doorway. That doorway is one of the most conspicuous
objects in Ani; and inasmuch as this building has been sought
to be identified with the royal palace, it has been despoiled
of many of its mosaics by patriotic Armenians, who strip them
off and carry them away as souvenirs. My reader will observe
the recurrence of the form of a Greek cross in the ornament on
the face of the gate. This ornament consists of inlays or, as
one might say, mosaics composed of a light red and of a black
stone. The effect is original and pleasant to the eye. In the
absence of any inscriptions--we searched in vain for any trace
of writing both on the outside of the edifice and within its
walls--I am inclined to consider that this so-called palace was
nothing more than a magazine and barrack, in close connection
with the outer defences of the city on the vulnerable side, the
side of the plain. The only ornament in the interior was found
over a doorway, and consisted of a chain moulding and inlays of
red and black stone. On the other hand, the uses of the place
appear to be denoted by the vaulted passages and by the spacious
underground chambers. Two of these chambers, smaller in size,
have evidently served as dungeons. [369]

Two edifices of considerable interest remain to be mentioned. Both
are situated in quarters of the town which must have been densely
built over, and both are in an advanced state of decay. The more
westerly is perhaps the most curious of all the monuments of Ani,
and I do not pretend to have quite unravelled the complexities
of its compound plan (No. 2). The eye is engrossed by the ruin
of a spacious portal, longest from west to east. The western
and southern walls have fallen away; but the east front and the
whole of the vaulting of the most easterly portion have been
spared by the ravages of time. Entering this portal from the west
(Fig. 91), we are able to reconstruct in fancy the features of the
design. There appear to have been three distinct domes to the roof,
supported by arches resting on pillars. Of the three divisions
which were thus introduced into the interior, the largest was that
in the centre. That on the east alone remains; and we may gauge
the dimensions of the whole figure when we consider that this
division measures within the pillars a square of 19 feet. The
architecture is pure Arab or Saracenic, recalling that of the
mosque. It is certainly later than the period of the kings. As
in the mosque, the effect is heightened by the mixture of black
with reddish blocks of stone. A large stone, sculptured with a
cross, is inlaid in the south-east wall, and may be the same as
the one which has been described by my predecessors as containing
the figure of a double-headed eagle. [370] The walls are covered
with inscriptions. The outer face of this portal or east front
is extremely elaborate (Fig. 92). The doorway on that side forms
the centre of a Saracenic façade in which honeycomb vaultings,
false niches, and a mosaic of black and pink stones have all been
made to play a part. Four inscriptions in Armenian are observed
upon this front.

This portal must have served as an entrance to two or more
chapels. Of these one alone remains. It is entered by a doorway
with rich mouldings in the north wall of the most easterly
division. The interior is of grey stone, and it is disposed
in four semicircles. [371] But the dimensions are small as
compared to those of the portal, and the portal is much longer
than the chapel. The ruinous masonry upon the west of the latter
building indicates the site of a second and contiguous chamber
or chapel. That of a third is denoted by similar evidence upon
the east wall. This structure projected beyond the east front of
the portal, to which it was placed at right angles. Traces of it
may be seen in my illustration. It bears an Armenian inscription.

The inscriptions, which unhappily I had not leisure to identify,
have been already published and translated. [372] The earliest in
date appears to have been found upon the doorway of the chapel,
and identifies it as a work of the period of the kings. It records
that in the year 480 (A.D. 1031) Apughamir, son of Vahram, prince
of princes, bestowed an endowment upon this church of the Apostles
for the health and long life of his brother Grigor. My reader
is already familiar with these names of members of the Pahlavid
family. The inscriptions upon the portal are of much later dates,
ranging over the period of Georgian occupation when the city was
governed by the Mkhargrdzels. Some are in the name of the Mongol
overlord. Most are of the nature of public proclamations; and
from the one latest in date we learn that in A.D. 1348 members
of this Georgian family were still personages at Ani, and that
the city had not yet been abandoned by her inhabitants.

The second of the monuments is also the last which I need mention;
it is situated between the cathedral and the chapel of the
Redeemer (No. 3). It is of small dimensions and, as usual, of
great elegance; but the roof and the whole of the upper portion
have unhappily fallen away. In fact, the only portions which
are still erect are the north wall, the apse, and part of the
south wall. A vaulted chamber extends around the edifice. Two
bas-reliefs are seen in two of the panels of the arcade upon the
north wall. The one on the left evidently represents the subject
of the Annunciation; while that on the right probably portrays
the figures of two saints. I could not discover any trace of an
inscription. But the old priest bases his opinion that the ruin
is that of a church dedicated to St. Stephen upon an inscription
which has disappeared. [373]

My illustration of the castle (Fig. 89) will have revealed
a characteristic of the ancient city which is of historical
interest. The ravine of the Alaja, as well as both the side
valleys, which open respectively to this ravine and to that of
the Arpa, present the appearance of having been riddled into
quite a network of cavities; such is the number of the troglodyte
dwellings which they contain. Legend peoples this underground city
with the souls of those citizens of Ani who, sooner than emigrate
into distant lands, preferred to die in her defence. A stir and
hum, as of a teeming and busy populace, may be heard by night
above the rustling of the Arpa Chai. [374] The tuff composing
the cliffs must at all times have invited such burrowings; and
we know that, when Ani was surprised during the reign of Thamar
by the emir of Ardabil, the inhabitants, who were still numerous,
took refuge in these caves. [375]

Our conception of the city of the kings would be wanting in an
essential feature were we to pass over the neighbouring convent
of Khosha Vank (Fig. 93). It was there, we can scarcely doubt,
that the monarch was often wont to deliberate; and it was under
the shadow of those walls that his bones were laid to rest by
the side of his ancestors. The triumphal archway through which
he would pass on his way from the capital may still be seen
on the summit of the cliff on the right bank of the Arpa Chai
(Fig. 94). The cloister is situated, as we have seen, upon the
opposite or left bank, [376] and is bordered on two sides by a
loop of the river. The bridge has disappeared. A small village has
grouped itself between the monastery and the bed of the stream,
where repose beneath the gloom of lofty cliffs of lava the two
chapels and the tomb of King Ashot.

The monastic buildings occupy a considerable area upon the high
ground within the bend of the river. They are surrounded by a
lofty wall. Entering from the west, we cross a court to an opposite
doorway which opens into a vast and gloomy chamber (Fig. 95). On
the further or eastern side of this chamber we perceive the door
of the church. The architecture of this outer hall or pronaos
is quite remarkable. In some respects it resembles that of the
mosque at Ani. The ceilings are vaulted, and there are no less
than four rows of pillars. The space is divided into the form
of a nave and two aisles. The circumference of the pillars is
9 1/2 feet. The central vaulting of the nave is surmounted by a
dome, different in shape from any of the domes which have been
described. Viewed from the outside, it becomes merged in a tall
belfry, which is seen on the left of my illustration (Fig. 96),
taken from the south-west. To the interior it displays a drum of
eight panels; and the only light which it transmits comes from
above. The panels are of stone and covered with sculpture in low
relief. Here it is an architectural figure, there a beautiful
vine pattern which is the subject of the ornament. One space
displays the form of the Virgin Mary, set in a rich frame. The two
extremities of the frame are supported by the shapes of animals,
a bull and a lion. On the back of the lion is seated an eagle,
and a child on that of the bull. Two angels keep watch, one on
either side of the Mother of Christ. The gloom of the building
is due to the design of this dome, as well as to the smallness
of the round windows, resembling the port-holes of a ship, of
which there are three in the north and two in the south wall.

The interior of this edifice is covered with inscriptions in
Armenian, which none of my party were able to read. Perhaps they
include some of those which were brought by Abich from this
cloister and which have been translated by Brosset. [377] One
of these inscriptions records a donation in the Armenian year
650 (A.D. 1201) under the government of Zakarea. Another is to
the effect that the monastery was restored in 1102 (A.D. 1652)
by one Daniel, a monk from Tigranocerta. We are told that the
buildings had previously fallen into ruin, and had become polluted
by accumulations of dust and filth. The cloister is styled Horomosi
Vank, and is described as having been constructed by the kings. I
will not venture to express an opinion upon the age of the pronaos;
but I would suggest that the belfry is perhaps of later date. The
sculptures in the dome appear to belong to a hoary antiquity. The
edifice may have served as a model for a rock chamber which is
described by a modern traveller as belonging to the cloister of
Surb Geghard. [378]

You enter the church through the door in the east wall of
the pronaos, passing a slab engraved with a pastoral staff,
which marks the place of burial of some spiritual dignitary. A
spacious dome rests upon four piers, and there is a single apse
with the usual daïs. The walls are covered with a coating of
whitewash. The interior measures roughly 53 feet by 33 feet,
the former dimension including the apse. The attendant priest
showed us an old but undated manuscript, which proved to be an
illustrated New Testament. It would appear from an inscription
that the church was dedicated to St. Gregory, [379] and it may
perhaps be ascribed to the period of the kings.

The monastic buildings are placed upon the south of the church
and pronaos, and are approached from the southern side of the
entrance court. They are just outside the area embraced by my
illustration of the south walls of the edifices just named. Two
large apartments, communicating with one another, serve as
antechambers to a great hall with pillars and vaulted ceilings,
which is entered from the second of the two chambers, and in plan
extends along the most easterly of its walls. The whole suite are
impressive examples of the art of the mason and stone-sculptor,
effect being gained by the regularity and perfect fitting of
the blocks, while the stone takes an admirable surface. Friezes
with stalactite patterns are employed in one room as a cornice
for the ceiling. In the second and smaller room there is a
square aperture in the centre of the roof with a stalactite
ornament. The same feature belongs to the hall of the synod
(Fig. 97), and is clearly seen in my photograph. At the further
end of the two rows of pillars may be discerned a niche with a
daïs, the recess being richly sculptured. It was there that was
placed the throne. But I think these buildings are all later than
the time of the kings, although they may have been used by the
Georgian princes who governed Ani. We learn from an inscription,
which was probably copied in the larger of the antechambers, that
at least one of these apartments was constructed in A.D. 1229 to
serve as a receptacle for the holy relics. [380]

On the north side of the church buildings there is nothing but
a narrow and vacant space separating them from the wall of the
cloister. But at the east end of this part of the enclosure, and in
line with the east front of the church, are situated the roofless
remains of a little chapel, crowning a ruinous substructure which
is overgrown by rank weeds, and of which the sculptured stones
litter the ground. The pendant of this building on the south side
of the church is seen in my illustration (Fig. 96). It is much
better preserved than the companion edifice, and the chamber in
the lower storey is still intact. This chamber is oblong in shape,
with a vaulted ceiling and an altar with sculptured stones. The
chapel is of triple design, with three apses, the whole surmounted
by a dome. It is possible that both these buildings, which so
closely correspond, were designed to receive the remains of some
high personages.

But the actual tomb of one of the kings has been spared by a happy
chance, and may be found quite close to the second and larger of
the chapels which repose in the bed of the Arpa Chai (Fig. 94). It
is placed near the south-eastern angle of the building. With what
a thrill of delight did we discover this eloquent relic--a rounded
slab resting on two stone steps! In spite of the lichen and the
wear of the stone, the words "Ashot Thagavor" (Ashot, the king)
were distinctly legible. The chapels are placed in a line from west
to east, and were originally three in number. Of these the most
westerly is falling into ruin, a state which has already overtaken
that on the east. The central member of the group is at once the
largest and the best preserved. It contains an inscription over
the south door to the effect that it was built in 460 (A.D. 1011)
by one George, son of the patriarch Martiros. But I have not
been able to identify this patriarch; and it is possible there
may be some error in the translation made by my dragoman, who,
although well educated, was not a scholar in old Armenian. The
king whose name appears on the tomb is probably Ashot the Third.

The inscriptions establish the fact that the monastery was
known by the name of Horomosi Vank, which probably signifies
the convent of the Greek. [381] History supplements and explains
this information. We learn from Asoghik that it was founded in
the tenth century under the reign of Abas by Armenian priests
who had emigrated from Greek territory. It was burnt by the
Mussulmans in A.D. 982. [382] An inscription of King John Sembat,
dated 487 (A.D. 1038), appears to have been found within its
walls; and it has been inferred that the cloister was restored
by that prince. [383] We know that he was buried by the side of
his predecessors who ruled at Ani; and we have an inscription
of John Sembat by which he bestows the revenue of a village in
support of the royal cemetery at this monastery of Horomos. [384]

For the benefit of such of my readers whose leisure may be unequal to a perusal of this long description, I would single out for particular study the cathedral (Figs. 72 and 74), the church of St. Gregory (Figs. 76, 77, and 78), and the two polygonal chapels (Figs. 85 and 88). These monuments are examples of the Armenian style at its very best, before it was brought under the direct influence of Mussulman art and adopted with slight variations Mussulman models. Except in the case of the church of St. Gregory, we have authentic evidence that they are works of the kingly period. The merits of the style are the diversity of its resources, the elegance of the ornament in low relief, the perfect execution of every part. It combines many of the characteristics of Byzantine art and of the style which we term Gothic, and which at that date was still unborn. The conical roofs of the domes are a distinctive feature, as also are the purely Oriental niches. Texier is of opinion that the former of these features was carried into Central Europe by the colonies of emigrants from the city on the Arpa Chai. [385]

In the portals of St. Gregory and of the church of the Apostles (Figs. 78 and 92) we have elaborate examples of the later period when the influence of Mussulman art was supreme. And the pronaos of Khosha Vank, with its massive pillars and groined ceilings, with the finely sculptured panels in the dome, seems to blend some of the characteristics of the architecture of the kings with the plainer style which belongs to the mosque.

But a lesson of wider import, transcending the sphere of the history of architecture, may be derived from a visit to the capital of the Bagratid dynasty, and from the study of the living evidence of a vanished civilisation which is lavished upon the traveller within her walls. Her monuments throw a strong light upon the character of the Armenian people, and they bring into pronouncement important features of Armenian history. They leave no doubt that this people may be included in the small number of races who have shown themselves susceptible of the highest culture. They exhibit the Armenians as able and sympathetic intermediaries between the civilisation of the Byzantine Empire, with its legacies from that of Rome, and the nations of the East. They testify to the tragic suddenness with which the development of the race was arrested at a time when they had attained a measure of political freedom, and when their capacities, thus favoured, were commencing to bear fruit. The Armenian architects thenceforward subserve the taste of their Mussulman masters; and during the long centuries which have elapsed since the Seljuk conquest, the genius of their countrymen has been exploited by the semi-barbarous peoples of Asia, while their abilities and character have progressively declined and become debased.

For all these reasons a special duty devolves upon the traveller to address a pressing appeal both to the Armenians and to the Russian Government for the preservation of these monuments. I have already mentioned the abstraction of two important bas-reliefs, and the petty thefts which are taking place with increasing frequency. Of the buildings observed by my predecessors within comparatively recent years, the octagonal minaret has already succumbed. A like fate will presently overtake the chapel of the Redeemer, unless measures be promptly taken to maintain that edifice. The monastery of Horomos is falling into ruin. Rich Armenians spend vast sums upon the embellishment of Edgmiatsin; can none be found to conserve for the instruction of posterity the noblest examples of the genius of their race? The co-operation of the Russian Government should be secured in this laudable enterprise; nor need we despair that it will be forthcoming in such a cause. Much as that Government is inclined to discourage Armenian patriotism, it rarely omits to perform a service in the interests of culture when the appeal is general and the interests are clear.