ABSTRACT
From the beginning, the Armenian church, as the oldest, biggest and most influential church of the Christian orient, had strong and far-reaching ties with Europe, especially with the Vatican. But theological controversies between the Armenian church and the Vatican continued to afflict their relationship during the middle ages and beyond. Due to Armenia's specific geographic and geopolitical context and its long-distance trading networks, its arts have a very specific artistic identity on combination with a noticeable degree of non-Armenian elements. According to Nersessian, especially, the Armenian “pictorialising of the Transfiguration” shows the “deeper divergencies between Eastern and Western Christianity.” Greater Armenia's geopolitical position as centre and crossroad is a major factor for the development of its arts. In an almost constant process, they advanced and created a distinct Armenian artistic identity together with a certain degree of a give and take with surrounding cultures.
