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Document Details : Title: Visions of Ani Subtitle: Software-Recovered Painting from the Apse of the Cathedral and the Church of Saint Gregory «Abułamrenc'» Author(s): MARANCI, Christina Journal: Revue des Études Arméniennes Volume: 40 Date: 2021 Pages: 233-261 DOI: 10.2143/REA.40.0.3290114 Abstract : This article introduces previously unpublished evidence for the apsidal painting at Ani Cathedral and the nearby Church of Saint Gregory 'Abułamrenc‘'. Image editing software, and the uniform adjustment of properties such as Brightness/Contrast, enable one to detect details of the painted programs that are invisible to the naked eye. One can identify the main scene of the Cathedral apse as a throne vision of Christ with the living creatures (the man, lion, ox, and eagle), and to read the scroll inscription on the south wall of the apse (Luke 10:11). The Church of Saint Gregory bears evidence for a similar theophany. After a discussion of the methodology used to produce the images, this essay presents some preliminary observations on the style, iconography, and date of the painted fragments, as well as relevant comparative material. In so doing, this essay demonstrates the importance of the theophanic visions at Ani and also how image editing software can increase the corpus of Armenian art. In this sense, Ani Cathedral and the Church of Saint Gregory serve only as two of many medieval Armenian monuments which may benefit from this methodology. |
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