Mat Immerzeel

The Narrow Way to Heaven: Identity and Identities in the Art of Middle Eastern Christianity - xii, 365 p., ill. (chiefly color), charts, maps, plans; 26 cm - Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta; 259 0777-978X .

Includes bibliographical references (pages 329-350) and indexes.

If art mirrors identity, this is particularly the case in the Christian Middle East. At first glance, the imposed minority position of the various communities and inherent feelings of peril are the driving forces behind the development of distinct artistic idioms, but on closer inspection this bias does not entirely do justice to the achievements of past generations. Churches would never have been erected and embellished without the zealous support of individuals and groups who had the means to realize such projects. This two-partite study deals with them and the tangible results of their efforts.

9789042932289

0777-978X


Christian art--Themes--Middle East--Fatimid--Ayyubid--Mamluk--Ottoman--Medieval, 500-1500--Symbolism--Monastic art