Armenian medieval sculpture is first of all the monumental
sculpture that decorates churches and martyries. Free-standing
monuments, such as four-sided stelae and khachkars (crossstones) are also rich in sculpures. The popularity of sculpture in the Armenian medieval art was due to midis- a three-layer layout of stones, when two rows of hewn stones were joined with lime mortar, and the surface got an artistic treatment.
The adoption of Christianity by the king Trdat (Tiridates) the
Great (278-330) in 301, as well as the educational and cultural
activities of Gregory the Illuminator contributed to the building
of churches and monasteries, which were decorated with Christian symbols and compositions. In this sense, the early period issingled out, as the artistic traditions of medieval Armenian sculpture outlined (4th-5th centuries) and then finally formed (7th century) in the context of Eastern Christian art. No less important was the geographical position of Armenia, between Byzantium and Sasanian Empire, which also in its turn outlined the ways of the cultural development of the country. The academic studies of Armenian medieval sculpture started during the archaeological companies in historical capital of Ani under the direction of the prominent scholar Nikolai Marr. Later, and especially in the 20th century, the study of Armenian medieval sculpture gained momentum not only among Armenian, but also among foreign researchers. Although the Armenian sculpture has a wide sphere of expression, nevertheless the richest are the church buildings. In Armenian churches, sculpture acts as the main element of exterior and partly interior decoration, and such a tradition, like in the whole Christendom, was formed on the basis of symbolic perceptions about the Church (the Temple of Moses, the Heavenly Jerusalem). The church sculpture first of all emphasized the entrances, windows, facades, as the image-symbols had the meaning and function of communication with God.
Sculptural decoration of churches of the 5th-6th centuries
The Armenian basilicas of the early period (5th-6th centuries)
were characterized by symbolic images: crosses with the arms of equal length in a circle complemented by floral and geometrical motifs symbolizing eternal life. Crosses were often raised on a short pole or stepped base as the symbol of Golgotha.
It is noteworthy, that in the South Caucasus only in Armenia one
can find monogram crosses (crus monogramatica) with the combination
of two stylized letters of the name of Christ (Aghtsk, Kasagh, Etchmiadzin). Such earliest forms of crosses are depicted in the rock cut complex of Vankasar (Artsakh), in the tomb of Aghtsk, as well as on the facades of the basilicas of Lernakert, Tigranakert (Artsakh), Tsitsernavank, Agarak, Yereruyk, Bayburd, Parpi. Also typical of this period are depictions of vine scrolls, palmettes, acanthus and lily flowers, as well as depictions of birds, sometimes animals’ combat as symbols of the triumph of faith and the eternal struggle. Plot scenes are almost absent in the mentioned period. Perhaps, as an exception, one can consider the images of the apostle Paul and Saint Thecla on the cathedral of Etchmiadzin, as well as the scenes of Daniel in the Lions’ Den and hunting of a boar on the Arshakuni tomb in Aghtsk (5th century).