TITLE:
Conservation Works on Wall Paintings of Aghtamar Church in Van
AUTHORS:
Fatma Sedes
KEYWORDS:
Aghtamar, Aghtamar Church, Monumental Architectural Restoration, Wall Painting Conservation
JOURNAL NAME:
Art and Design Review,
Vol.13 No.1,
February
28,
2025
ABSTRACT: Purpose: Church of the Holy Pilgrimage-Aghtamar with a monastery complex is on Aghtamar Island within the boundaries of Gevaş District, which is 4 km distance to the coast of Lake Van towards the west side of the Van Province. Moving from a peninsula called Çumar Peninsula, transportation is made by boats. The restoration application and landscaping execution are made by the Kartalkaya Firm. The purpose is to explain the conservation works of wall paintings. Description: From all those building complexes, it remained the main church and a belfry, on its west side established Jamadun in 1763, the Katalikos Zakarias Chapel with its date 1296, and the Saint Stephan Chapel as it’s dated 1293. A small chapel was built on the north side of the church, which was called a summer chapel. That building’s year of building is not known. Method: In this paper, one will find a history of the church, its architectural and ornamentation features, and works of restoration and conservation of wall paintings. Research and Short History: Eastern Anatolia and especially the Van region witnessed the wars between Byzantine and Sasanians in the Middle Ages, and a continuous change in management happened. This region came under the domination of Muslims in the seventh century, that’s to say, in the Omer period. Armenian domination began towards the end of this century, as in the Abbasid state period, it turned into a Governorship of the Province.