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74-404: The narrative has pre-Christian origins ( Jason and Medea , Perseus and Andromeda , Typhon , etc.), and is recorded in various saints' lives prior to its attribution to Saint George specifically. It was particularly attributed to Saint Theodore Tiro in the 9th and 10th centuries, and was first transferred to Saint George in the 11th century. The oldest known record of Saint George slaying a dragon

148-662: A kylix in the Vatican collections. In the kylix painted by Douris, c.  480 –470, Jason is being disgorged from the mouth of the dragon, a detail that does not fit easily into the literary sources; behind the dragon, the fleece hangs from an apple tree. Jason's helper in the Athenian vase-paintings is not Medea — who had a history in Athens as the opponent of Theseus —but Athena . A long time ago, fleeces were considered very important. Several euhemeristic attempts to interpret

222-420: A nymph and the granddaughter of Helios , the sun-god. According to Hyginus , Poseidon carried Theophane to an island where he made her into a ewe so that he could have his way with her among the flocks. There Theophane's other suitors could not distinguish the ram-god and his consort. Nephele's children escaped on the yellow ram over the sea, but Helle fell off and drowned in the strait now named after her,

296-675: A 17th-century drawing, now in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris. The "Christianisation" of the Thracian horseman iconography can be traced to the Cappadocian cave churches of Göreme , where frescoes of the 10th century show military saints on horseback confronting serpents with one, two or three heads. One of the earliest examples is from the church known as Mavrucan 3 ( Güzelöz, Yeşilhisar  [ tr ] ), generally dated to

370-626: A banner declaring "The Turkish people are noble. They would never commit genocide". Demonstrators outside the Ministry of the Interior in Ankara chanted slogans against the possibility of a cross being erected atop the church, declaring "You are all Armenians, we are all Turks and Muslims". Historian Ara Sarafian responded to the criticism of the restoration project, stating that the project represented an answer to allegations of cultural genocide. He stated that

444-485: A chapter entitled " The Reluctant Dragon ", in which an elderly Saint George and a benign dragon stage a mock battle to satisfy the townsfolk and get the dragon introduced into society. Later made into a film by Walt Disney Productions , and set to music by John Rutter as a children's operetta . In 1935 Stanley Holloway recorded a humorous retelling of the tale as St. George and the Dragon written by Weston and Lee. In

518-572: A coat of arms introduced in 1801 for Georgia within the Russian Empire ). Golden Fleece In Greek mythology , the Golden Fleece ( Ancient Greek : Χρυσόμαλλον δέρας , romanized :  Khrysómallon déras , lit.   'Golden-haired pelt') is the fleece of the golden -woolled, winged ram , Chrysomallos , that rescued Phrixus and brought him to Colchis , where Phrixus then sacrificed it to Zeus . Phrixus gave

592-400: A correct approach to the " Armenian question ." Its real aim is not to solve the problem, but to gain points like a wrestler in a contest. How and when it will make the right move and defeat its opponent. That's the only concern. This is not earnestness. The state calls on Armenian historians to discuss history, but does not shy from trying its own intellectuals who have an unorthodox rhetoric on

666-455: A dragon near Euchaita in a legend not younger than the late 9th century. Early depictions of a horseman killing a dragon are unlikely to represent Saint George, who in the 10th century was depicted as killing a human figure, not a dragon. The earliest image of St Theodore as a horseman (named in Latin) is from Vinica, North Macedonia and, if genuine, dates to the 6th or 7th century. Here, Theodore

740-573: A knight on horseback slaying the dragon first appears in western art in the second half of the 13th century. The tradition of the saint's arms being shown as the red-on-white Saint George's Cross develops in the 14th century. Paintings Sculptures Mosaic Engravings Prints Edmund Spenser expands on the Saint George and the Dragon story in Book I of the Fairy Queen , initially referring to

814-443: A mess out of it. The initial plans were for the opening of Ahtamar to take place on Apr. 24. A real cunning idea... As it is known to be the " Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in the world," a trump for propaganda would have been used on that day. Then the date became Apr. 11. According to the ancient Armenian calendar, Apr. 11 coincides with Apr. 24. They probably knew this also. They were still pursuing another cunning idea. At

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888-590: A noted tourist attraction in the coming decades. In 2005 the structure was closed to visitors as it underwent a heavy restoration, being opened as a museum by the Turkish government a year later. The architecture of the church is based on a form that had been developed in Armenia several centuries earlier; the best-known example being that of the seventh century Saint Hripsime Church in Echmiadzin . The unique importance of

962-518: A recurring antagonist faction in the Ben 10 are revealed in the third series Ben 10: Ultimate Alien to have been founded by Sir George from the legend of Saint George and the Dragon, with the tale directly referenced by name. The dragon that George fought is depicted as a shapeshifting extradimensional demon named Dagon, worshipped by a cult called the Flame Keepers’ Circle that goes to war against

1036-457: A source of the 5th or 6th century, names "governor Dadianus", the persecutor of Saint George as "the dragon of the abyss", a greek myth with similar elements of the legend is the battle between Bellerophon and the Chimera . Budge makes explicit the parallel to pre-Christian myth: I doubt much of the whole story of Saint George is anything more than one of the many versions of the old-world story of

1110-531: Is a direct continuation of the Roman-era " Thracian horseman " type iconography. The iconography of the dragon appears to grow out of the serpent entwining the "tree of life" on one hand, and with the draco standard used by late Roman cavalry on the other. Horsemen spearing serpents and boars are widely represented in Roman-era stelae commemorating cavalry soldiers. A carving from Krupac , Serbia, depicts Apollo and Asclepius as Thracian horsemen, shown besides

1184-565: Is found in a Georgian text of the 11th century. The legend and iconography spread rapidly through the Byzantine cultural sphere in the 12th century. It reached Western Christian tradition still in the 12th century, via the crusades . The knights of the First Crusade believed that Saint George, along with his fellow soldier-saints Demetrius , Maurice , Theodore and Mercurius , had fought alongside them at Antioch and Jerusalem. The legend

1258-493: Is not slaying a dragon, but holding a draco standard . One of the Vinica icons also has the oldest representation of Saint George with a dragon: George stands besides a cynocephalous Saint Christopher , both saints treading on snakes with human heads, and aiming at their heads with spears. Maguire (1996) has connected the shift from unnamed equestrian heroes used in household magic to the more regulated iconography of named saints to

1332-556: Is the main source of the story of Saint George and the Dragon as received in Western Europe, and is therefore relevant for Saint George as patron saint of England . The princess remains unnamed in the Golden Legend version, and the name "Sabra" is supplied by Elizabethan era writer Richard Johnson in his Seven Champions of Christendom (1596). In the work, she is recast as a princess of Egypt. This work takes great liberties with

1406-525: The Armenian genocide . It restores an Armenian church in the Southeast, but only thinks, "How can I use this for political gains in the world, how can I sell it?" The opening was controversial among some Turkish nationalist groups, who protested at the island and in a separate demonstration in Ankara. Police detained five Turkish nationalists protesting against the restoration of the church at Lake Van, who carried

1480-534: The Catholicosate of Aghtamar . During his reign, King Gagik I Artsruni (r. 908–943/944) of the Armenian kingdom of Vaspurakan chose the island of Aght'amar as one of his residences, founding a settlement there. The only structure standing from that period is the cathedral. It was built of pink volcanic tufa(tuff) by the architect-monk Manuel during the years 915–921, with an interior measuring 14.80 m by 11.5 m and

1554-564: The Hellespont . The ram spoke to Phrixus, encouraging him, and took the boy safely to Colchis (modern-day south-east coastal region of the Black Sea), on the easternmost shore of the Euxine (Black) Sea . There the ram was sacrificed to gods. In essence, this act returned the ram to the god Poseidon, and the ram became the constellation Aries . Phrixus settled in the house of Aeëtes , son of Helios

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1628-452: The Nile ). Silene was being plagued by a venom-spewing dragon dwelling in a nearby pond, poisoning the countryside. To prevent it from affecting the city itself, the people offered it two sheep daily, then a man and a sheep, and finally their children and youths, chosen by lottery. One time the lot fell on the king's daughter. The king offered all his gold and silver to have his daughter spared, but

1702-552: The Protestant church as the one true faith, was told in altered fashion in Edmund Spenser 's The Faerie Queene . The saint is depicted in the style of a Roman cavalryman in the tradition of the " Thracian Heros ". There are two main iconographic types, the "concise" form showing only George and the dragon, and the "detailed" form also including the princess and the city walls or towers of Lacia (Lasia) with spectators witnessing

1776-511: The Yılanlı Kilise  [ tr ] ("Snake Church") that depicts the two saints Theodore and George attacking a dragon has been tentatively dated to the 10th century, or alternatively even to the mid-9th. A similar example, but showing three equestrian saints, Demetrius, Theodore and George, is from the "Zoodochos Pigi" chapel in central Macedonia in Greece, in the prefecture of Kilkis , near

1850-457: The purple dye murex snail and related species was highly prized in ancient times. Clothing made of cloth dyed with Tyrian purple was a mark of great wealth and high station (hence the phrase "royal purple"). The association of gold with purple is natural and occurs frequently in literature. The following are the chief among the various interpretations of the fleece, with notes on sources and major critical discussions: Cathedral of

1924-477: The 10th century, which portrays two "sacred riders" confronting two serpents twined around a tree, in a striking parallel to the Dioskuroi stela, except that the riders are now attacking the snake in the "tree of life" instead of a boar. In this example, at least, there appear to be two snakes with separate heads, but other examples of 10th-century Cappadocia show polycephalous snakes. A poorly preserved wall-painting at

1998-506: The 1950s, Stan Freberg and Daws Butler wrote and performed St. George and the Dragon-Net (a spoof of the tale and of Dragnet ) for Freberg's radio show. The story's recording became the first comedy album to sell over a million copies. Margaret Hodges retold the legend in a 1984 children's book ( Saint George and the Dragon ) with Caldecott Medal -winning illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman . The Forever Knights that serve as

2072-555: The Cathedral Church of the Holy Cross comes from the extensive array of bas-relief carving of mostly biblical scenes that adorn its external walls. The meanings of these reliefs have been the subject of much and varied interpretation. Some of this is speculation – for example, a few sources interpret Islamic and Turkic influences behind the artistic rendering of the reliefs, syncretised with Armenian influences. Some scholars assert that

2146-529: The Coats of Arms of City of Kutaisi , the ancient capital city of Colchis. Athamas the founder of Thessaly, but also king of the city of Orchomenus in Boeotia (a region of southeastern Greece ), took the goddess Nephele as his first wife. They had two children, the boy Phrixus (whose name means "curly", as in the texture of the ram's fleece) and the girl Helle . Later Athamas became enamored of and married Ino ,

2220-586: The Forever Knights. Series main antagonist Vilgax takes advantage of his true form’s coincidental resemblance to Dagon’s true appearance to manipulate the Flame Keepers’ Circle into helping him find the heart of Dagon, which George had cut out and sealed with the Ascalon, depicted here as a sword of alien origin created by Azmuth prior to inventing the Omnitrix. Samantha Shannon describes her 2019 novel The Priory of

2294-517: The Golden Fleece "realistically" as reflecting some physical cultural object or alleged historical practice have been made. For example, in the 20th century, some scholars suggested that the story of the Golden Fleece signified the bringing of sheep husbandry to Greece from the east; in other readings, scholars theorized it referred to golden grain, or to the Sun. A more widespread interpretation relates

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2368-450: The Holy Cross, Aghtamar The Cathedral of the Holy Cross ( Armenian : Սուրբ Խաչ եկեղեցի , romanized :  Surp Khachʿ egeghetsʿi , Turkish : Akdamar Kilisesi or Surp Haç Kilisesi ) on Aghtamar Island , in Lake Van in eastern Turkey , is a medieval Armenian Apostolic cathedral, built as a palatine church for the kings of Vaspurakan and later serving as the seat of

2442-461: The Orange Tree as a "feminist retelling" of Saint George and the Dragon. Reggio Calabria used Saint George and the dragon in its coat of arms since at least 1757, derived from earlier (15th-century) iconography used on the city seal. Saint George and the dragon has been depicted in the coat of arms of Moscow since the late 18th century, and in the coat of arms of Georgia since 1991 (based on

2516-507: The church of St George in Staraya Ladoga , dated c.  1167 . In Russian tradition, the icon is known as Чудо Георгия о змие ; i.e., "the miracle of George and the dragon". The saint is mostly shown on a white horse, facing right, but sometimes also on a black horse, or facing left. The princess is usually not included. Another motif shows George on horseback with the youth of Mytilene sitting behind him. The motif of Saint George as

2590-411: The church – and a large Turkish flag mounted at the site, it was argued by some that this project really announced the "Turkification" of this monument, the initiative being no more than a media stunt. The church is now classed as a secular museum. During the ceremony held to mark the restoration there were images of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk displayed prominently. Armenian religious leaders invited to

2664-605: The closer regulation of sacred imagery following the iconoclasm of the 730s. In the West, a Carolingian-era depiction of a Roman horseman trampling and piercing a dragon between two soldier saints with lances and shields was put on the foot of a crux gemmata , formerly in the Treasury of the Basilica of Saint Servatius in Maastricht (lost since the 18th c.). The representation survives in

2738-413: The conflict between Light and Darkness, or Ra and Apepi , and Marduk and Tiamat , woven upon a few slender threads of historical fact. Tiamat, the scaly, winged, foul dragon, and Apepi the powerful enemy of the glorious Sungod, were both destroyed and made to perish in the fire which he sent against them and their fiends: and Dadianus, also called the 'dragon', with his friends the sixty-nine governors,

2812-424: The daughter of Cadmus . When Nephele left in anger, drought came upon the land. Ino was jealous of her stepchildren and plotted their deaths; in some versions, she persuaded Athamas that sacrificing Phrixus was the only way to end the drought. Nephele, or her spirit, appeared to the children with a winged ram whose fleece was of gold . The ram had been sired by Poseidon in his primitive ram-form upon Theophane ,

2886-473: The dome reaching 20.40 m above ground. In later centuries, and until 1915, it formed part of a monastic complex, the ruins of which can still be seen to the south of the church. Between 1116 and 1895 Aght'amar Island was the location of the Armenian Catholicosate of Aght'amar. Khachatur III, who died in 1895, was the last Catholicos of Aght'amar. In 1915, during the Armenian genocide , the church

2960-459: The dome until 1915 should be replaced. Some Armenians said that the renovation was unfinished until the cross was replaced, and that prayer should be allowed inside at least once a year. A cross had been prepared nearly a year before the opening, and Mesrob II petitioned the Prime Minister and Minister of Culture to place the cross on the dome of the cathedral. Turkish officials said that the base

3034-406: The dragon's neck. Wherever she walked, the dragon followed the girl like a "meek beast" on a leash . The princess and Saint George led the dragon back to the city of Silene, where it terrified the population. Saint George offered to kill the dragon if they consented to become Christians and be baptized. Fifteen thousand men including the king of Silene converted to Christianity . George then killed

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3108-525: The dragon, beheading it with his sword, and the body was carted out of the city on four ox-carts. The king built a church to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint George on the site where the dragon died and a spring flowed from its altar with water that cured all disease. Only the Latin version involves the saint striking the dragon with the spear, before killing it with the sword. The Golden Legend narrative

3182-527: The early 11th century. The oldest certain images of Saint George combatting the serpent are still found in Cappadocia . In the well-known version from Jacobus de Voragine 's Legenda aurea ( The Golden Legend , 1260s), the narrative episode of Saint George and the Dragon took place somewhere he called "Silene" in what in medieval times was referred to as " Libya " (basically anywhere in North Africa, west of

3256-593: The end, it was decided that the opening of Ahtamar, now "Akdamar," would take place on Mar. 29, as a restoration opening of a museum-church, without a cross or a bell. Çandar notes that the Agos issue published on the day of the murder of Hrant Dink featured a Dink commentary on the Turkish government's handling of the Akdamar issue, which the late journalist characterized as "A real comedy... A real tragedy...". According to Dink, The government hasn't still been able to formulate

3330-465: The feat of George's dragon slaying. Titled "St. George and the Dragon" , the ballad considers the importance of Saint George in relation to other heroes of epic and Romance, ultimately concluding that all other heroes and figures of epic or romance pale in comparison to the feats of George. The Banner of St George by Edward Elgar is a ballad for chorus and orchestra, words by Shapcott Wensley (1879). The 1898 Dream Days by Kenneth Grahame includes

3404-511: The fleece to King Aeëtes who kept it in a sacred grove, whence Jason and the Argonauts stole it with the help of Medea , Aeëtes' daughter. The fleece is a symbol of authority and kingship. In the historical account, the hero Jason and his crew of Argonauts set out on a quest for the fleece by order of King Pelias in order to place Jason rightfully on the throne of Iolcus in Thessaly . Through

3478-454: The friezes parallel contemporary motifs found in Umayyad art – such as a turbaned prince, Arab styles of dress, wine imagery; allusions to royal Sassanian imagery are also present (Griffins, for example). Following the Armenian genocide and the establishment of the Turkish republic, the church was largely officially ignored and thus exposed to extensive vandalism. During the 1950s, the island

3552-399: The gold was shaken or combed out. Alternatively, the fleeces would be used on washing tables in alluvial mining of gold or on washing tables at deep gold mines . Judging by the very early gold objects from a range of cultures, washing for gold is a very old human activity. Strabo describes the way in which gold could be washed: It is said that in their country gold is carried down by

3626-478: The help of Medea , they acquire the Golden Fleece. The story is of great antiquity and was current in the time of Homer (eighth century BC). It survives in various forms, among which the details vary. Nowadays, the heraldic variations of the Golden Fleece are featured frequently in Georgia , especially for Coats of Arms and Flags associated with Western Georgian (Historical Colchis) municipalities and cities, including

3700-647: The hero as the Redcross Knight . William Shakespeare refers to Saint George and the Dragon in Richard III ( Advance our standards, set upon our foes Our ancient world of courage fair St. George Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons act V, sc. 3), Henry V ( The game's afoot: follow your spirit, and upon this charge cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!' act III, sc. 1), and also in King Lear (act I). A 17th-century broadside ballad paid homage to

3774-406: The late 5th century. Iconography of the horseman with spear overcoming evil becomes current in the early medieval period. Iconographic representations of St Theodore as dragon-slayer are dated to as early as the 7th century, certainly by the early 10th century (the oldest certain depiction of Theodore killing a dragon is at Aghtamar , dated c.  920 ). Theodore is reported as having destroyed

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3848-436: The lower-third of the 1444 khachkar was left, noted as it had been visibly intact when photographed by Bachmann in 1911. The 19th-century tombstone of Khatchatur Mokatsi, still intact in 1956, was later smashed into fragments. Between 20 May 2005 and 21 July 2006, the church underwent a controversial restoration program. The restoration had a stated budget of 2 million Turkish lira (approximately 1.4 million USD ) and

3922-600: The material, and makes Saint George marry Sabra and have English children, one of whom becomes Guy of Warwick . Alternative names given to the princess in Italian sources still of the 13th century are Cleolinda and Aia . Johnson also supplied the name of Saint George's sword: "Ascalon". The story of Saint George, as the Red Cross Knight and the patron saint of England, slaying the dragon, which represents sin , and Princess Una as George's true love and an allegory representing

3996-532: The miracle. The "concise" type originates in Cappadocia, in the 10th to 11th century (transferred from the same iconography associated with Saint Theodore of Tiro in the 9th to 10th century). The earliest certain example of the "detailed" form may be a fresco from Pavnisi (dated c. 1160), although the examples from Adishi , Bochorma and Ikvi may be slightly earlier. The oldest example in Russia found on walls of

4070-673: The modern village of Kolchida, dated to the 9th or 10th century. A 12th-century depiction of the mounted dragon-slayer, presumably depicting Theodore, not George, is found in four muqarna panels in the nave of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo . The dragon motif was transferred to the George legend from that of his fellow soldier saint , Saint Theodore Tiro . The transfer of the dragon iconography from Theodore, or Theodore and George as "Dioskuroi" to George on his own, first becomes tangible in

4144-415: The mountain torrents, and that the barbarians obtain it by means of perforated troughs and fleecy skins, and that this is the origin of the myth of the golden fleece—unless they call them Iberians , by the same name as the western Iberians , from the gold mines in both countries. Another interpretation is based on the references in some versions to purple or purple-dyed cloth. The purple dye extracted from

4218-542: The museum, the Turkish Akdamar (translating as "white vein") rather than the original Armenian Ahtamar – the name of the island in Lake Van on which the church stands and Surp Haç (Holy Cross) for the church itself would suggest this to be a Turkish monument. At the same time only sparing use was made of the word "Armenian" in official statements, With Turkey's Armenian community not granted their request to hold services in

4292-466: The myth of the fleece to a method of washing gold from streams, which was well attested (but only from c.  5th century BC ) in the region of Georgia to the east of the Black Sea. Sheep fleeces, sometimes stretched over a wooden frame, would be submerged in the stream, and gold flecks borne down from upstream placer deposits would collect in them. The fleeces would be hung in trees to dry before

4366-409: The opening ceremony refused to attend because the church was being reopened as a secular museum. It has the allowance to hold one religious service per year from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The Turkish government stated that it would permit a liturgy to be delivered on 19 September 2010, and the service took place as planned. Some controversy surrounded the issue of whether the cross atop

4440-557: The people refused. The daughter was sent out to the lake, dressed as a bride, to be fed to the dragon. Saint George arrived at the spot. The princess tried to send him away, but he vowed to remain. The dragon emerged from the pond while they were conversing. Saint George made the Sign of the Cross and charged it on horseback, seriously wounding it with his lance. He then called to the princess to throw him her girdle ( zona ), and he put it around

4514-446: The quest for the Golden Fleece in his Fourth Pythian Ode (written in 462 BC), though the fleece is not in the foreground. When Aeëtes challenges Jason to yoke the fire-breathing bulls, the fleece is the prize: "Let the King do this, the captain of the ship! Let him do this, I say, and have for his own the immortal coverlet, the fleece, glowing with matted skeins of gold". In later versions of

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4588-503: The serpent entwined around the tree. Another stele shows the Dioscuri as Thracian horsemen on either side of the serpent-entwined tree, killing a boar with their spears. The development of the hagiographical narrative of the dragon-fight parallels the development of iconography. It draws from pre-Christian dragon myths. The Coptic version of the Saint George legend, edited by E. A. Wallis Budge in 1888, and estimated by Budge to be based on

4662-473: The story, the ram is said to have been the offspring of the sea god Poseidon and Themisto (less often, Nephele or Theophane ). The classic telling is the Argonautica of Apollonius of Rhodes , composed in the mid-third century BC Alexandria , recasting early sources that have not survived. Another, much less-known Argonautica, using the same body of myth, was composed in Latin by Valerius Flaccus during

4736-503: The sun god. He hung the Golden Fleece preserved from the ram on an oak in a grove sacred to Ares , the god of war and one of the Twelve Olympians . The fleece was guarded by a never-sleeping dragon with teeth that could become soldiers when planted in the ground. The dragon was at the foot of the tree on which the fleece was placed. In some versions of the story, Jason attempts to put the guard serpent to sleep. Pindar employed

4810-537: The time of Vespasian . Where the written sources fail, through accidents of history, sometimes the continuity of a mythic tradition can be found among the vase-painters. The story of the Golden Fleece appeared to have little resonance for Athenians of the Classic age, for only two representations of it on Attic-painted wares of the fifth century have been identified: a krater at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and

4884-641: The way the Turkish government handled the opening as an extension of an ongoing " cultural genocide " of the Armenians. He characterizes the renaming of the church from Armenian to Turkish as part of a broader program to rename Armenian historical sites in Turkey , and attributes the refusal to place a cross atop the church as symptomatic of religious intolerance in Turkish society. What do you think "our set" are trying to do? If you ask me, they would like "to appear righteous and benefit politically." And naturally they make

4958-480: The world. Özdemir Çakacak, the governor of Van, described the restoration as "a show of Turkey's respect for history and culture". A Turkish state department museum official added, "We could not have ignored the artifacts of our Armenian citizens, and we did not." Signs heralding the church reopening declared "Tarihe saygı, kültüre saygı" ("Respect for history, respect for culture"). According to Maximilian Hartmuth, an academician at Sabanci University, "the church

5032-500: Was also destroyed by fire called down from heaven by the prayer of Saint George. In anticipation of the Saint George iconography, first noted in the 1870s, a Coptic stone fenestrella shows a mounted hawk-headed figure fighting a crocodile, interpreted by the Louvre as Horus killing a metamorphosed Setekh . Depictions of "Christ militant" trampling a serpent is found in Christian art of

5106-685: Was financed by the Turkish Ministry of Culture . It officially re-opened as a museum on 29 March 2007 in a ceremony attended by the Turkish Minister of Culture, government officials, ambassadors of several countries, Patriarch Mesrob II (spiritual leader of the Armenian community of Turkey), a delegation from Armenia headed by the Deputy to the Armenian Minister of Culture, and a large group of invited journalists from many news organizations around

5180-400: Was looted, and the monastic buildings destroyed and in July 1916 the Catholicosate was abolished by the Ottoman Empire . The church remained in disuse through the decades after 1915. When the writer and journalist Yaşar Kemal visited the island of Akhtamar in 1951, he discovered that it was about to be demolished. Using his contacts he helped stop the planned destruction. The church became

5254-455: Was not appropriate for the cross the Patriarchate brought as it was made to support the original cross. Later, the issue was solved. Since 2 October 2010, the cross sits at the top of the church. On 8 September 2013, the rite of baptism was carried out for a group of Armenian boys within the cathedral. This was the first time since the Armenian genocide that a baptism was performed in Van. Hürriyet columnist Cengiz Çandar characterized

5328-784: Was popularised in Western tradition in the 13th century based on its Latin versions in the Speculum Historiale and the Golden Legend . At first limited to the courtly setting of chivalric romance , the legend was popularised in the 13th century and became a favourite literary and pictorial subject in the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance , and it has become an integral part of the Christian traditions relating to Saint George in both Eastern and Western tradition. The iconography of military saints Theodore , George and Demetrius as horsemen

5402-411: Was turned into a museum rather than re-opened as a place of worship following the restoration was, for example, claimed to be a wedge separating the monument from Turkey's Armenian community". The critics, writing for media such as Radikal, Milliyet , or Turkish Daily News , furthermore lamented that permission to mount a cross on top of the church was not given. Moreover, they argued the official name of

5476-400: Was used as a military training ground. The ornate stone balustrade of the royal gallery largely disappeared; comparisons with pre-1914 photographs show signs of damage to the relief carvings. By 1956, two khachkars —one by Catholicos Stephanos, dated to 1340, in addition to a second one, dated to 1444–were visibly damaged, with large sections of their carvings broken or hacked-off. Only

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