Arpine ASRYAN, Dr.
University of Yerevan, Armenia
In the 2nd half of the 10th century and the first half of the 11th century, the regions of Tao and Klarjeti, so called in Georgian sources and Tayk and Kgharjk in Armenian sources, were located in the north-west of Transcaucasus, faced a cultural progress due to geographical and political progress.
There are a number of churches built in this period, for example monasteries of Oshki, Ishkhan (reconstructed), Parhal, Hahoul, Tbet, etc., which due to the composition and architecture of the buildings, show both traditional (7th cent.) and new artistic tendencies. We witness local art elements as well as Byzantine (influenced by small architectural forms), especially in the outside ornamentation.
Despite the fact that the tradition of the church ornamentation was quite advanced in Transcaucasus, than before, unlike Byzantium, but we see richer decoration and ornaments of these churches, which find their parallels in small architectural forms and in decorative and applied arts. They are located in the frames and arches of portals and windows, on cornices, lintels, on the bases and capitals of columns, etc.. They can be either simple, more geometric, or complex, with stylized vegetal ornaments. When comparing we find parallels in Byzantine monuments such as Hosios Meletios, Hosios Loukas, Ohrid, etc..
These ornaments, their combinations, as well as principles of decoration, developed in Tao-Klarjeti, find their usage in the entire region very fast from the beginning of the 11th century.
The outside ornamentation of Tao monuments, mentioned above, has always been considered as an auxiliary part of the architectural composition, but its artistic solutions should be examined in the context of sculpture of that period. This is just an attempt to draft that direction.
Sculptural décor of Tao-Klarjeti monasteries, now days located on the north-eastern Turkey, has identical roots of development and communities and it is not correct to view this region in one cultural context and trace a border between Schools of sculpture among which communities are obvious and impossible to deny.