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Christina Maranci: Save Mren Cathedral from Collapsing - Call For Ac

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  • Christina Maranci: Save Mren Cathedral from Collapsing - Call For Ac

    Panorama.am
    21/01/2015

    CHRISTINA MARANCI: SAVE MREN CATHEDRAL FROM COLLAPSING - CALL FOR ACTION


    Mren Cathedral (in Kars region of Western Armenia), which is considered a
    Masterpiece of world art and the product of the Golden Age of Armenian
    Architecture, is still on the verge of collapse. Mren is included in the World
    Monuments Fund Watch List and needs urgent action to be saved. Panorama.am
    has conducted an interview on this issue with Dr. Christina Maranci=80`
    Arthur H. Dadian and Ara T. Ozetemel Associate Professor of Armenian Art at
    Tufts University and one of the world's authorities on the Cathedral of
    Mren.

    Nvard Chalikyan: Dr. Maranci, in 2013 you issued a call to save the 7th
    century Mren Cathedral in the Kars region of Western Armenia (present-day
    Turkey). You have warned that the Cathedral, which is referred to as =80=9Ca
    masterpiece of world art and the product of the Golden Age of Armenian
    Architecture', is on the verge of collapse. What is the main significance
    of Mren Cathedral both as an architectural and religious monument?

    Christina Maranci: Mren is important as the largest surviving domed
    basilica of seventh-century Armenia, and one of the largest (Ani Cathedral
    is actually slightly shorter in length). It is a particularly refined
    example of the domed basilica - with carefully moulded piers articulating
    and emphasizing the soaring verticality of the central domed bay. It is
    rightly called one of the masterpieces of the `Golden Age'
    of Armenian
    architecture for these reasons. It also preserves, as I have shown
    recently, the most extensive fresco program of seventh-century Armenia, and
    the earliest Armenophone biblical inscription (preserving Psalm 92/93:5),
    located in the triumphal arch. Scholars have also called attention to the
    church as a critical monument of the eastern frontier and the Byzantine
    consolidation of this region by the emperor Heraclius (610-641)-he
    is named
    in a precious inscription on the west façade of the church, and may be
    represented in the bas-relief on the north portal lintel, returning the
    True Cross to Jerusalem. The west façade portal is also sculpted with
    images of Christ, angels, saints, clerics, and princes, making this church
    of great value for its architecture, epigraphy, and sculpture.

    N.C.: What is currently the condition of Mren?

    Christina Maranci: Very bad. The south wall collapsed, as is known, in
    the early twentieth century. What was a large hole in the southwest corner
    of the church in the 1990s gradually became larger, and now the façade,
    along with its corpus of medieval inscriptions, is on the ground. There is
    also now a crack running along the northwest corner of the church. The dome
    piers have been undermined and damaged, as have the remaining facades, and
    so there is little to support the superstructure, and the dome is not
    sufficiently or symmetrically supported. The famous lintel showing
    Heraclius (most likely) is also not supported on its left side, but simply
    hangs in the air.

    N.C.: What is the approach of the Turkish authorities to the fate of this
    cathedral?

    Christina Maranci: For many years, there was no possibility of doing
    anything to this site, in part because of the fact that Mren lies in a
    military zone. But I have just learned that the Ministry of Culture has
    authorized a project there for this year, and that it will involve
    Armenians. This is a very exciting and important development, and I am
    hopeful that the work can be started before it is too late.

    N.C.: Dr. Maranci, thanks to your efforts Mren was included in the World
    Monuments Fund Watch List 2014-2017. How can this contribute to the
    preservation of the monument?

    Christina Maranci: The importance of the Watch List is that it brings
    attention to otherwise obscure monuments- the Watch List is a kind
    of
    official, but non-governmental recognition that a monument is worth
    saving-and this, in itself, is a good first step towards establishing the
    basis for a project. I hope in the future that other sites in historic
    Armenia also achieve this status. It is also important to note that unlike
    UNESCO World Heritage Site system, the WMF Watch List is not a permanent
    designation; rather, it is intended as a call to action, and that is what
    we hope will happen at Mren in the next two years while it is on the list.

    N.C.: Is it now possible to access the site or does it still remain
    closed for the visitors?

    Christina Maranci: Yes and no. I am frankly unsure of the current status
    of the region of Mren as part of a restricted military zone. For all I
    know, it may still be officially closed, although the area seems less
    militarized. But having said that, empirical evidence suggests that Mren is
    now accessible to visitors: I know of increasing numbers of people who have
    gone to Mren recently, including myself!

    N.C.: What other steps have been and should be taken to save Mren?

    Christina Maranci: I think that the process of raising awareness of the
    church is an important first step towards saving Mren. Now, the next step
    will be a good survey of the site and the monument, and then the
    stabilization of the weak parts. I think these two things should be done as
    soon as possible, hopefully this year.

    N.C.: How can one get involved in this campaign?

    Christina Maranci: Anyone who is interested should tell friends and
    colleagues about Mren and its importance. The more people know about it,
    the better. To learn more about the World Monuments Fund, go to their
    website: http://www.wmf.org/project/cathedral-mren.

    N.C.: How would you describe the overall state of Armenian monuments and
    churches in Western Armenia under Turkish rule? Are most of them endangered
    (any other cases to highlight)?

    Christina Maranci: It varies, but many of them are in bad shape. And too
    many of them are not known very well.

    Khtskonk, the monastery buildings of Hoá¹=99omos, Bagnayr, and so many
    others
    are in perilous condition.

    N.C.: What would you say is the general approach of the Turkish
    government towards the Armenian monuments there?

    Christina Maranci: It is a complicated question to answer. My instinct
    would be to say negative, but my own experience has been that there has
    also been a lot of indifference... However, I would also like to say that
    there are many non-governmental individuals - scholars, philanthropists,
    etc.-in Turkey who have been at the forefront of campaigning for the
    Armenian monuments. I must be hopeful that the changes, which can be
    glacial in politics and diplomacy, will happen soon enough to save these
    monuments.


    Interview by Nvard Chalikyan
    http://www.panorama.am/en/interviews/2015/01/21/mren/

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