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Relics of St. Echmiadzin The exhibition in the Apollo Hall of the Winter Palace (Room No. 260) takes place in the context of the "Year of Armenia in Russia" and with the blessing of the Catolicos of All Armenians Garegin II. It has been organized jointly with the Holy See of St Echmiadzin. In 2000, on the eve of preparations for the celebration of the adoption of Christianity in Armenia 1700 years ago, Petersburgers were able to acquaint themselves with treasures from the Armenian Church. The present exhibition is on a small scale. But while the number of items on display is limited, the exhibition is highly significant and has great artistic value. Echmiadzin has many holy objects which are revered in the entire Christian world. This collection includes works from a wide chronological range spanning the 9th to 20th centuries and a wide geographic range - Arara, Vaiots-Dzor, Erzerum, Van, Constantinople, India, China. It was assembled in the course of a long period mainly thanks to donations. Echmiadzin also received many treasures which were salvaged from the churches of Mush, Varagavan, and Lim which were destroyed during enemy attacks. A significant part of the collection consists of acquisitions made by the Patriarchs - Catolicos. The exhibition includes manuscripts and samples of artistic metal work and needlework. Many items are being shown in the Hermitage for the first time. There are also sacerdotal robes and objects which signify the ecclesiastical rank and authority of clerics in the Armenian Church. Reliquaries constitute the most important part of the exhibition: triptychs, relic hand bones, crosses. Among them are priceless holy objects of the Christian Church: pieces of the True Cross on which Christ was crucified, pieces of Noah's Ark, and relics of Armenian and other Christian saints. Out of the two hand-shaped reliquaries (dlan), the Hand of St. Akop Mtsbinsky is especially interesting. This was made using chasing, casting and filigree work. Multicolored gemstones and enamel have been mounted on the reliquary, which has amazing artistic expressiveness achieved through a skillful combination of various technical details that precisely convey the position of the fingers in a gesture of blessing. The skladen reliquary of "Khotakerats sub ishan," which dates from 1300, enjoys a particular place in the exhibition both in terms of the holy object it contains and for its historical and artistic value. It received its name from the monastery which was the source of the relic it contains - a piece of the True Cross on which Christ was crucified. The proportionality of the different elements of the reliquary, which successfully brings together figures and ornamental decorations, and the intense color accents of the gemstones on the gold surfaces with beautifully modeled angels and other personages - all this attests to high artistic taste and technical perfection and places the reliquary among the best monuments of the Middle Ages. Another unique skladen contains one of the most r evered holy objects of the Armenian Church - a piece of Noah's Ark. The reliquary consists of a silver triptych made by the chasing technique. The holy object is held in the middle section under a large cross decorated with multicolored gemstones. On the front side of the folding elements we see a scene of the divine discovery of a piece of Noah's Ark: an Angel gives this priceless relic to St Akop Mtsbinsky (Iakov Nizibinsky), who is on bended knee. St Akop's name is linked to its discovery. According to tradition, he discovered the holy object on Mt Ararat. A small fragment was broken off from the lower left corner of the relic and in 1768 this was given to Catherine the Great. The patriarchal two-headed eagle, which has been almost completely covered in precious stones and decorative enamel, was given in return by the Empress to Catolicos Simeon I, and it is also shown in the exhibition. The curator of the exhibition and author of the text of the scholarly catalogue is A.S. Mirzoyan, doctor of art history and senior researcher in the State Hermitage's Department of the Culture and Art of the Orient. The illustrated scholarly catalogue was prepared and published by the Slavia Publishing House, St Petersburg. Echmiadzin. Echmiadzin was known prior to 1945 and has been called since the 1990's - Vagarshapat. It is the historical center of the Armenian Apostolic Church and was founded by tsar Vagash in 140 B.C. For 150 years it was the capital of Armenia. At present it is one of the more important cultural and religious centers of the country and is the residence of the Catolicos of All Armenians. It is the site of the Surb Echmidadzin Cathedral, a church seminary and many other well-known architectural monuments. The Cathedral of Surb Echmiadzin is the oldest Christian church in Armenia and was founded in the 4th century. According to legend, the place where the cathedral would be constructed was pointed out to Gregory the Enlightener by Christ himself. The Echmiadzin Collection is presently housed in four museums which are situated on the territory of the Holy See: in the museum attached to the Cathedral, in the Treasure House Museum of Aleko and Mary Manukyanov, in the Old and New Patriarchal Residences, and also in the Gold Treasure Room. The collection was assembled over a long period of time. It consists of works of art which were donated to the Holy See of Echimiadzin. Donated items came from the ends of the Earth, wherever there is a settlement of the Armenian diaspora and churches. Treasures were brought here that were salvaged from churches of Mush, Varagavan and Lim following their destruction during enemy attacks and genocide against Armenians. A large number of the items in the collection were gifts and purchases made by the Catolicos of All Armenians.
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