The Ateni Sioni Church: Sacred Architecture and the Languages of Power in Medieval Iberia
Resumo
This article explores the medieval Iberian Ateni Sioni Church, built in the 7th century and renowned for its comprehensive mural cycle dated to the 12th century. It draws particular attention to the church’s architectural, topographical, and decorative parallels with a significant sacred site in Iberia, the Church of the Holy Cross in Jvari. Rather than viewing these similarities as exclusively formal, the article offers an alternative perspective, focusing especially on the church’s topography and exterior decoration. It examines the donor reliefs on the facade in relation to their spatial context and considers how pilgrims and worshippers engaged with them as well as their possible symbolic significance at the time of their creation. The study demonstrates that, in the medieval period, Ateni Sioni served not only as a religious monument but also as a powerful political statement – a visual embodiment of authority and faith.
Formato
Crossmark
Licença
In order to support the global exchange of knowledge, the journal Eikon Imago is allowing unrestricted access to its content as from its publication in this electronic edition, and as such it is an open-access journal. The originals published in this journal are the property of the Complutense University of Madrid and any reproduction thereof in full or in part must cite the source. All content is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 use and distribution licence (CC BY 4.0). This circumstance must be expressly stated in these terms where necessary. You can view the summary and the complete legal text of the licence.
