Detailed description

This book, intended for the admirers of the unique cultural heritage of the South Caucasus and Turkey, is the result of five fiel
d trips undertaken between 2015 and 2022 by students and teachers of the Department of Art History at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno to the regions of present-day Armenia, Georgia, and Turkey – the area of the medieval kingdoms of Armenia and Iberia. The book contains short student texts devoted to the outstanding medieval monuments of the region and offering original insights as well as new research data. The number of monuments studied is exceptional, making the present volume one of the first within Czech as well as international environment to deal with the cultural heritage of the region in such a comprehensive way. Prefaced with a scholarly reflection on the specific features of the cultural heritage under examination – including the unique phenomenon of Armenian liturgical anterooms, the so-called gaviths, and the intriguing dialogue between culture and landscape, the book introduces the reader to more than thirty churches, their decorations, liturgical furnishings, and icons. Individual monuments are ordered geographically by modern provinces and regions to make the volume a helpful guide for travellers to this area.