Introduction of Gothic art from Armenia into Europe

It is known that Armenians utilized the Gothic design a century earlier than Europe. Lord Kinross writes in “Within the Taurus”, London, 1955, p. 76, : “Armenia was a catalyst between the architectural forms of the East and the West. It was the Crusades which provided the main point of contact between Armenia and the West.” There is consensus among many art historians, including Josef Strzvgowski (“Die Baukunst der Armenier und Europa”), August Choisy (“Outlines of the Origin and Formation of Romanesque Architecture”) and others, that the Crusades were the vehicle for the introduction of Gothic art from Armenia into Europe. Queen Melisende, for example, brought many Armenian architects from Cilicia to restore and build churches in Jerusalem.

It is known that Armenians utilized the Gothic design a century earlier than Europe. Lord Kinross writes in “Within the Taurus”, London, 1955, p. 76, : “Armenia was a catalyst between the architectural forms of the East and the West. It was the Crusades which provided the main point of contact between Armenia and the West.” There is consensus among many art historians, including Josef Strzvgowski (“Die Baukunst der Armenier und Europa”), August Choisy (“Outlines of the Origin and Formation of Romanesque Architecture”) and others, that the Crusades were the vehicle for the introduction of Gothic art from Armenia into Europe. Queen Melisende, for example, brought many Armenian architects from Cilicia to restore and build churches in Jerusalem.