Christina Maranci: Armenian Religious Architecture

Christina is the author of four books and over 100 articles and essays on medieval Armenian art and architecture, including most recently, "The Art of Armenia." Her 2015 monograph, "Vigilant Powers: Three Churches of Early Medieval Armenia" won the Karen Gould Prize for Art History from the Medieval Academy of America as well as the Sona Aronian Prize for best Armenian Studies monograph from the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research. She has worked on issues of cultural heritage for over a decade, with a focus on the at-risk Armenian churches and monasteries in what is now Eastern Turkey. ​In this episode, Christina and I discuss the distinctive traits of Armenian religious architecture, its significance in Christian and architectural history, and the interplay between exterior and interior elements in creating sacred space. From their reflection of Orthodox theology to the unique history of Ani, we delved into how Armenian churches differ from other traditions.