On March 10, the exhibition “Armenia. Legend of Existence”, where you can fully get acquainted with the culture of Armenia of all times - from antiquity to the end of the 19th century.
The exhibition was organized with the assistance of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia and the Ministry of Culture of Russia. The wide Russian public is presented with a rich collection of artifacts: more than 160 unique exhibits were delivered to Moscow from the three leading repositories of Armenia: the Museum of the History of Armenia and the national treasuries of the country: the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts of Matenadaran named after. Saint Mesrop Mashtots and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
The Museum of the History of Armenia presented a rich collection of artifacts covering the entire history of the Armenian people. Among them are tools of primitive man and objects related to ancient agricultural cultures of the Bronze Age: ritual hearths, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic clay sculpture, miniature figurines and astral symbols, painted vessels. Also among the exhibits of the exhibition are monuments of the ancient state of Urartu: cuneiform inscriptions, figurines of deities, weapons of the Urartian kings with various relief images (horsemen and war chariots, sacred trees, winged deities, etc.).
A silver cup from the royal tomb in Karashamba, which dates back to the 22nd century BC, deserves special attention from visitors. It depicts in detail, in several tiers, individual fragments from everyday life: hunting, war, ritual actions, etc. Upon careful examination, they all add up to a single plot, and, of course, have a mythological basis.
The fact that Armenia is the first state to officially adopt Christianity in 301 is a well-known fact. And, of course, the exhibition “Armenia. Legend of Existence” could not ignore this significant event.
Every person who has once visited Armenia or is even more or less interested in its culture is familiar with this type of architectural monuments such as khachkars. There are many of them on the territory of Armenia. Steles with carved crosses everywhere are the best indicator of the level of religiosity of the local population. They are given a special place at the exhibition - several khachkars from the 13th to 15th centuries are on display.
An important part of the exhibition is represented by church objects from the museums of Holy Etchmiadzin, unique in their artistic and historical value. The dominant feature of the exhibition is rightfully considered to be the priceless shrine of the Christian Church - the cross of 1746 with the relics of St. George the Victorious.
Institute of Ancient Manuscripts of Matenadaran named after. St. Mesrop Mashtots also made a great contribution to expanding the collection at the exhibition “Armenia. Legend of existence": specialists from Materadaran delivered 25 artifacts to Moscow: ancient manuscripts, bibles and prayer books representing the spiritual and cultural heritage of Armenia.
Exhibition “Armenia. Legend of Existence" will provide an opportunity not only to enjoy the cultural heritage of the ancient state, but also to plunge into a world full of warm southern flavor. It is known that Armenian arts and crafts are famous for a specific national folk craft - carpet weaving, the roots of which go back to the distant past. In the exhibition you can see magnificent examples of carpets and national costumes of the 18th – 19th centuries. from different regions of Armenia.
Of course, the organizers could not ignore the most important fact in the history of the Armenian people - the tragic event of the early 20th century - the genocide. The exhibition tells about it through photographs of those years, which depict, unfortunately, architectural monuments lost forever and people who, despite the terrible massacre, managed to survive this terrible tragedy.
The exhibition exhibits provide an excellent opportunity for visitors to get to know Armenia more deeply, as well as appreciate the cultural heritage of a country that has such a long history.
It should be noted that the exhibition “Armenia. The Legend of Existence” was recently visited by the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, who is currently on a working visit to Russia. At the end of his visit, Serzh Sargsyan made an entry in the museum’s guest book: “For me, as the President of Armenia, it is a great honor today to be in one of the oldest buildings in Russia - the State Historical Museum, where an exhibition called “Armenia. Legend of Existence”, dedicated to the millennia-long history of the Armenian people, which contains many glorious pages about the intertwining of the history and culture of our fraternal peoples. I am convinced that the ranks of unique documents and exhibits stored here will continue to be replenished with new valuable evidence of the Armenian-Russian long-lasting friendship.”.
Exhibition “Armenia. Legend of Existence" in the Historical Museum on Red Square for the first time presents to a wide Russian audience more than 160 unique exhibits from three leading museums of Armenia: the Museum of History of Armenia, the Museums of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Matenadaran Institute of Ancient Manuscripts named after Mesrop Mashtots.
The Museum of the History of Armenia provided for display a rich collection of artifacts found on the territory of modern Armenia and covering the entire history of the Armenian people - from the times of primitive society to the end of the 19th century. These are tools of primitive man and objects related to ancient agricultural cultures of the Bronze Age: ritual hearths, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic clay sculpture, miniature figurines and astral symbols, painted vessels. All these monuments testify to the highest level of development of crafts, culture and religious ideas. Of particular interest is a silver cup from the royal tomb in Karashamba, found during excavations of one of the richest burial mounds of the Bronze Age. Made of thin silver sheet, it is surrounded from top to bottom with six friezes filled with chased images. Individual scenes and compositions - hunting, war, ritual actions, feasting, beating of prisoners and others - form a detailed epic plot that has a mythological basis.
Among the exhibits of the exhibition are monuments of Urartu, a powerful state of the ancient world on the territory of the Armenian Highlands: cuneiform inscriptions, bronze figurines of gods, ceramics, weapons of the Urartian kings with relief images of horsemen and war chariots, sacred trees, winged deities and dragon-snakes with lion heads .
The Hellenistic period in the history of Armenia is represented at the exhibition by monuments of the 4th century BC. e. – II century AD e., among which the marble statue of the goddess Aphrodite is a highly artistic work of art from the end of the 2nd - beginning of the 1st century BC. e. According to researchers, it belongs to the school of Praxiteles or is a copy of sophisticated sculptural images of the Aegean Islands and Asia Minor.
Armenia is the first country to adopt Christianity as an official religion in 301. A special place in the exhibition is occupied by church objects from the museums of Holy Etchmiadzin, unique in their artistic and historical value. The liturgical utensils made using the techniques of chasing, casting and filigree, decorated with precious and semi-precious stones and enamels, amaze with their amazing expressiveness. The undoubted dominant feature of the exhibition will be the priceless shrine of the Christian Church - the 1746 cross with the relics of St. George the Victorious.
The symbol of the national culture of Armenia is khachkars. Based on ancient traditions and distinguished by a wealth of forms, decorative and architectural monuments are not found anywhere else in the world. Several khachkars from the 13th to 15th centuries are on display at the exhibition.
An important part of the exhibition consists of ancient manuscripts representing the spiritual and cultural heritage of Armenia and now stored in the Matenadaran. All manuscripts are decorated with miniatures, which in themselves are highly artistic works of art. Among the monuments of Armenian written culture are the Gospels and the Bible; lectionaries, hymnaries, as well as the Synaxarium, on the miniature of which there is an image of St. Gregory the Illuminator - the first head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. In the miniature in the “Grammar” of the 17th century Armenian philosopher and theologian Simeon Dzhugaetsi, we see Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the Armenian alphabet and the founder of Armenian literature and writing. A fragment of Deuteronomy, also presented at the exhibition, dates back to the 5th century, to the time of the creation of the Armenian alphabet.
One of the brightest and most original pages of Armenian decorative and applied art is carpet weaving, which has gone through centuries of development. Its roots go back to the time when people began to depict astral symbols and ornaments on the objects around them; Such symbols were also embroidered on fabrics. In the exhibition you can see magnificent examples of carpets and women's costumes of the 18th – 19th centuries. from different parts of Armenia.
One of the most tragic events in the history of the 20th century - the Armenian genocide, organized and carried out in 1915 in territories controlled by the authorities of the Ottoman Empire, is told through photographs of destroyed, looted and burned architectural monuments.
The exhibition exhibits will give visitors the opportunity to become more deeply acquainted with the centuries-old history of Armenia and its multifaceted cultural tradition.
For the first time, unique exhibits from three leading state museums in Transcaucasia are presented to the Russian public. This is more than 160 items. Coverage - from the adoption of Christianity by Armenia in the 4th century to its entry into the Russian Empire.
That's for sure - "Legends of Existence". This is an idol figurine - Teisheba. VIII century BC. By an incredible coincidence, this figurine of the god of war was found on June 22, 1941. During excavations of the ancient fortress of Karmir-Blur, near Yerevan. This royal armor is also from an ancient civilization - the state of Urartu. By the way, the holes are not the result of a fight. They appeared when the temple where the relics were kept was being destroyed.
“Grandfather’s helmet, son’s shield and grandson’s quiver. Argishti the Second and Sardulius and so on. All things are signed. On all of them it is stamped in cuneiform that this helmet was given to the temple,” shows Alexander Moshinsky, curator of the exhibition “Armenia. Legends of Existence”, head of the sector of the department of archaeological monuments of the State Historical Museum.
And this cup is from the Bronze Age. There are only four like them in the world! The height is 13 centimeters; experts are still wondering how four hundred drawings fit on it. A real document of the era: here is hunting, war, ritual actions, feasts and even the beating of prisoners.
Without these sacred artifacts it is impossible to imagine the history and culture of the Armenian people. These are khachkars, which literally means stone crosses! They began to be made back in the 4th century on the site of destroyed pagan sanctuaries. As a sign of the victory of the new faith. During this period, Armenia officially adopted Christianity.
Or rather in 301. Armenia is the first country to adopt this religion at the state level. Christianity contributed to the spread of writing. The history of Armenian handwritten books dates back 15 centuries. And this was started by Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the alphabet. Here is a faded parchment, an excerpt from the Bible - an example of just that period - the 5th century. From Matenadaran, the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts.
“You know, I have never seen manuscripts from the 14th-12th-11th centuries in such quantity and in one place! What can be seen here,” Alexey Levykin, director of the State Historical Museum, is surprised.
The central exhibit of the exhibition is a shrine of the Christian church, a cross from 1746 with the relics of St. George the Victorious. It was brought from the museums of Holy Etchmiadzin, where, by the way, the spear with which Jesus Christ was pierced is kept.
“Before the genocide, the clergy were able to save not only manuscripts and other church utensils, but also this relic,” says Priest Asogik Karapetyan, director of the museums of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
From the Paleolithic era - the times of primitive society - to the XIX century. The exhibition about the history of the ancient state at the foot of Ararat took 2 years to prepare. It took 3 planes to transport more than one and a half hundred unique exhibits from the main treasuries of Armenia from Yerevan to Moscow. The event is significant for both states.
“The fact that these unique exhibits are here speaks of a special relationship between Armenia and Russia, special trust, warmth and respect for each other,” believes Vladimir Medinsky, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation.
“In essence, we are saying that the Armenian civilization has always been present throughout world history and has had its invaluable contribution, and most importantly, that we are all heirs of this great civilization,” says Hasmik Poghosyan, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Armenia.
The organizers hope that the impressions from the exhibition will be as colorful as the colors of these ornaments. Carpet making is another original and vibrant tradition of the ancient people that has passed through the centuries.
The exhibition "Armenia. Legend of Existence" at the Historical Museum on Red Square for the first time presents to a wide Russian audience more than 160 unique exhibits from three leading museums in Armenia: the Museum of the History of Armenia, the Museums of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts of the Matenadaran named after Mesrop Mashtots.
The Museum of the History of Armenia provided for display a rich collection of artifacts found on the territory of modern Armenia and covering the entire history of the Armenian people - from the times of primitive society to the end of the 19th century. These are tools of primitive man and objects related to ancient agricultural cultures of the Bronze Age: ritual hearths, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic clay sculpture, miniature figurines and astral symbols, painted vessels. All these monuments testify to the highest level of development of crafts, culture and religious ideas. Of particular interest is a silver cup from the royal tomb in Karashamba, found during excavations of one of the richest burial mounds of the Bronze Age. Made of thin silver sheet, it is surrounded from top to bottom with six friezes filled with chased images. Individual scenes and compositions - hunting, war, ritual actions, feasting, beating of prisoners and others - form a detailed epic plot that has a mythological basis.
Among the exhibits of the exhibition are monuments of Urartu, a powerful state of the ancient world on the territory of the Armenian Highlands: cuneiform inscriptions, bronze figurines of gods, ceramics, weapons of the Urartian kings with relief images of horsemen and war chariots, sacred trees, winged deities and dragon-snakes with lion heads .
The Hellenistic period in the history of Armenia is represented at the exhibition by monuments of the 4th century BC. e. - II century AD e., among which the marble statue of the goddess Aphrodite is a highly artistic work of art from the late 2nd - early 1st century BC. e. According to researchers, it belongs to the school of Praxiteles or is a copy of sophisticated sculptural images of the Aegean Islands and Asia Minor.
Armenia is the first country to adopt Christianity as an official religion in 301. A special place in the exhibition is occupied by church objects from the museums of Holy Etchmiadzin, unique in their artistic and historical value. The liturgical utensils made using the techniques of chasing, casting and filigree, decorated with precious and semi-precious stones and enamels, amaze with their amazing expressiveness. The undoubted dominant feature of the exhibition will be the priceless shrine of the Christian Church - the cross of 1746 with the relics of St. George the Victorious.
The symbol of the national culture of Armenia is khachkars. Based on ancient traditions and distinguished by a wealth of forms, decorative and architectural monuments are not found anywhere else in the world. Several khachkars from the 13th to 15th centuries are on display at the exhibition.
An important part of the exhibition consists of ancient manuscripts representing the spiritual and cultural heritage of Armenia and now stored in the Matenadaran. All manuscripts are decorated with miniatures, which in themselves are highly artistic works of art. Among the monuments of Armenian written culture are gospels and bibles; lectionaries, hymnaries, as well as the Synaxarium, on the miniature of which there is an image of St. Gregory the Illuminator - the first head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. In the miniature in the “Grammar” of the 17th century Armenian philosopher and theologian Simeon Dzhugaetsi, we see Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the Armenian alphabet and the founder of Armenian literature and writing. A fragment of Deuteronomy, also presented at the exhibition, dates back to the 5th century, to the time of the creation of the Armenian alphabet.
One of the brightest and most original pages of Armenian decorative and applied art is carpet weaving, which has gone through centuries of development. Its roots go back to the time when people began to depict astral symbols and ornaments on the objects around them; Such symbols were also embroidered on fabrics. In the exhibition you can see magnificent examples of carpets and women's costume of the 18th - 19th centuries. from different parts of Armenia.
Photographs of destroyed, looted and burned architectural monuments tell about one of the most tragic events in the history of the 20th century - the Armenian genocide, organized and carried out in 1915 in territories controlled by the authorities of the Ottoman Empire.
The exhibition exhibits will give visitors the opportunity to become more deeply acquainted with the centuries-old history of Armenia and its multifaceted cultural tradition.
Unique exhibition “Armenia. Legend of existence", organized with the assistance of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, for the first time presents to a wide Russian audience more than one hundred and sixty unique exhibits from three leading museums of Armenia: the Museum of History of Armenia, the Museums of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts of the Matenadaran named after Mesrop Mashtots.
The exhibition will be held from March 10 to June 13 at the Historical Museum on Red Square in Moscow.
The History Museum of Armenia presents at the exhibition a rich collection of artifacts found on the territory of modern Armenia and covering the entire history of the Armenian people - from the times of primitive society to the end of the 19th century. These are tools of primitive man and objects related to ancient agricultural cultures of the Bronze Age: ritual hearths, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic clay sculpture, miniature figurines and astral symbols, painted vessels. All these monuments testify to the highest level of development of crafts, culture and religious ideas.
Of particular interest is a silver cup from the royal tomb in Karashamba, found during excavations of one of the richest burial mounds of the Bronze Age. Made of thin silver sheet, it is surrounded from top to bottom with six friezes filled with chased images. Individual scenes and compositions - hunting, war, ritual actions, feasting, beating of prisoners and others - form a detailed epic plot that has a mythological basis.
Among the exhibits of the exhibition are monuments of the Ararat Kingdom (Urartu), a powerful Armenian state of antiquity, located on the territory of the Armenian Highlands: cuneiform inscriptions, bronze figurines of gods, ceramics, weapons of the Urartian kings with relief images of horsemen and war chariots, sacred trees, winged deities and dragon-snakes with lion heads.
The Hellenistic period in the history of Armenia is represented at the exhibition by monuments of the 4th century BC. e. – II century AD e., among which the marble statue of the goddess Aphrodite is a highly artistic work of art from the end of the 2nd - beginning of the 1st century BC. e. According to researchers, it belongs to the school of Praxiteles or is a copy of sophisticated sculptural images of the Aegean Islands and Asia Minor.
Armenia is the first country to adopt Christianity as an official religion in 301. A special place in the exhibition is occupied by church objects from the museums of Holy Etchmiadzin, unique in their artistic and historical value. The liturgical utensils made using the techniques of chasing, casting and filigree, decorated with precious and semi-precious stones and enamels, amaze with their amazing expressiveness. The undoubted dominant feature of the exhibition will be the priceless shrine of the Christian Church - the 1746 cross with the relics of St. George the Victorious.
The symbol of the national culture of Armenia is khachkars. Based on ancient traditions and distinguished by a wealth of forms, decorative and architectural monuments are not found anywhere else in the world. Several khachkars from the 13th to 15th centuries are on display at the exhibition.
An important part of the exhibition consists of ancient manuscripts representing the spiritual and cultural heritage of Armenia and now stored in the Matenadaran. All manuscripts are decorated with miniatures, which in themselves are highly artistic works of art. Among the monuments of Armenian written culture are the Gospels and the Bible; lectionaries, hymnaries, as well as the Synaxarium, on the miniature of which there is an image of St. Gregory the Illuminator - the first head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. In the miniature in the “Grammar” of the 17th century Armenian philosopher and theologian Simeon Dzhugaetsi, we see Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the Armenian alphabet and the founder of Armenian literature and writing. A fragment of Deuteronomy, also presented at the exhibition, dates back to the 5th century, to the time of the creation of the Armenian alphabet. One of the brightest and most original pages of Armenian decorative and applied art is carpet weaving, which has gone through centuries of development. Its roots go back to the time when people began to depict astral symbols and ornaments on the objects around them; Such symbols were also embroidered on fabrics. In the exhibition you can see magnificent examples of carpets and women's costumes of the 18th – 19th centuries. from different parts of Armenia.
One of the most tragic events in the history of the 20th century - the Armenian Genocide, organized and carried out in 1915 in territories controlled by the authorities of the Ottoman Empire, is told through photographs of destroyed, looted and burned architectural monuments.
The exhibition exhibits will give visitors the opportunity to become more deeply acquainted with the centuries-old history of Armenia and its multifaceted cultural tradition.
