Poster Subject: Classics

Poster Title: ‘T’oros Roslin: The Sebastian Gospels as Armenian National and Cultural Identity

Bio: Chelsea is a first year Archaeology master’s student, holding a bachelor’s degree in Art History research. She is interested in iconography, the concepts of culture heritage and identity. Chelsea’s thesis is on the Bald Friar petroglyph fragments that originate along the lower Susquehanna River Valley and recently excavated in Druid Hill Park in Baltimore, Maryland, to present a case for the reassembly of the fragments under a de-colonial lens.

Abstract: Sandwiched between Europe to the west and Islamic nations to the east, Armenia has historically always operated at a cultural and religious crossroads. In ancient times, Armenia was under the control of both the Persian and Roman empires and later divided into feudal territory, exemplifying Armenia’s long and complex history of having its indigenous culture adjusted and assimilated to a powerful invading empire. When celebrated illumination and scribe T’oros Roslin finished the Sebastian Gospels in 1262, Armenia was once again attempting to hold off the threat of the eastern Islamic caliphates to the east while acting as a barrier to Byzantium. This looming threat of invasion and the potential erasure of Armenian culture infiltrated the narrative of the Sebastia gospels which were made to ultimately function as an asset to the Apolistic church and it’s head, the Catholicos Konstantine I. The Sebastia Gospels are the best-preserved example of an illuminated manuscript made by Armenians for an exclusively Armenian Apolistic audience. They fuse western iconography with distinctly Armenian and Eastern Mediterranean cultural heritage to celebrate and showcase the Armenian national and cultural perspective during the Crusades. 

Corresponding Author's Email: ctcline@mun.ca