When Islamic ornament and Christian iconography work together

[topum]

Bundestag voted to recognize the Armenian genocide. Turkey is furious, recalled its ambassador from Berlin and further threatened to "do whatever is necessary to resolve this issue".

The pro-Armenian sentiment here in Moldova, where I am working on a charity project at the moment seems to be very strong. I kept hearing about it all day today from almost everyone I talked to.

Here is an Armenian church in Isfahan, Iran. I like how they merged Islamic ornament and Christian iconography and how visually overwhelming it is.



This photo is from the internet, it is not mine.

Comments

[altamira16.livejournal.com]

I believe that this is the Vank Cathedral, and there are beautiful photographs of it on flickr.

[topum.livejournal.com]

It is indeed. I saw it for the first time today. I visited Iran twice but never made it to Isfahan.

[altamira16.livejournal.com]

My family members are from Isfahan.

[topum.livejournal.com]

My best buddy's father is from Tehran. I really like visiting Iran.

[diejacobsleiter.livejournal.com]

I've never seen something like this before. Beautiful, thank you.

I think, Moldova and Romania have some bitter rememberances about their life under Turkey (they were a part of Ottoman empire until the end of XIX cent.). So they are maybe rahter anti-turkish than pro-armenian.

[topum.livejournal.com]

Plus both Moldova and Armenia are small post-Soviet states and both are Christian Orthodox. I think Armenian Church is considered Orthodox even though they are monophysite and on the surface they look very similar to Catholics.
I think Ottoman Empire stuff happened too long ago for anyone here to remember anything even via family stories and still be bitter. They had quite a bit of more recent stuff to be bitter about.