Portals of Ani churches of the late 10th – early 11th centuries: Springing of a new typology

Abstract

Portals representing iconic elements of the three-dimensional composition of the medieval churches have particularly expressive forms in the architecture of Ani. The article reveals the features of the portals of two types, successively developed by the architect Trdat for the majestic cathedrals of the Armenian capital of the late 10th – early 11th centuries. Drawing ideas from the samples of different traditions, including the ancient Greco-Roman one, new types were created, such as a perspective portal and a local medieval version of the Hellenistic portal.

Keywords

• Armenian architecture
• portal
• perspective doorway
• Classical patterns
• Ani
• Ani Cathedral