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Armenian Church Doors
Height: 5"
Width: 5"
Artist: Deanna Yildiz
Medium: Oil
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Design of Bronze Doors
This is the illustration I created for the Church doors which were sculpted and bronzed for the Armenian Church, St. Vartan's Cathedral on E. 34th Street and 2nd Avenue. They will be on display for a while. Mayor Bloomberg came to speak at the presentation ceremony where later the Armenian Dancer's danced outside the doors as they were annointed and displayed for the first time to the public.
My Final Drawing approved for Sculpting
My Projection of the drawing over the original wood doors
Sculpture of King as the sculptor works from my drawing
Sculpture of St. Gregory created from my original design
Deanna Knauth posing with bronze-worker Setrak Agonian
Me posing with some family and friends in front of doors
Mayor Mike Bloomberg presenting at the opening ceremony in the church
St. Vartan's Cathedral from a distance on 34th St. and 2nd Ave, NYC
The Armenian Dancers dancing outside the doors for the ceremony
Detail of the Church Doors
A little background info on drawing the Illustration and the creation of the
Doors
I was commissioned about 5 years ago to do an illustration that was to be sculpted
and bronzed for an Armenian Church, Saint Vartan Armenian Cathedral located at
34th St and 2nd Avenue in Manhattan. The church had to be reinforced to hold the
bronze doors. Plus the sculptor had a lot of work to do and so did Setrak Agonian,
the man who did the bronzing. Setrak hired me for the job.
It took a while going back and forth between the priests and religious people who needed to approve the final
concept and drawing. Many different variations of the drawings were done.
Sometimes angels were carrying Etchmiadzin, sometimes the woman, Hripsime,
whom the King loved, desired and who rejected him and so he had her killed,
appeared. It's quite an interesting story really. My synopsis of it is below....Versions
were done with a Wild Boar in the picture which is how King Trdat III can be
traditionally depicted. Also with the King's sister, Xosroviduxt, who had the vision
that Gregory might be able to save him.
There was about 3 months of back and forth with general concepts and then more
completed drawings. I worked on drawings for the door handles but got so caught up
with the main illustration and the story (plus my full-time job) that Setrak said he
would handle it. I loaded the images onto my website (which also took more time)
because the various people who needed to give input lived in different locations....not
all based in NY and so we needed to find a way to interact where different options
could be compared and discussed.
My original drawing was more stylized (especially the King's face). The artwork of Armenian churches has a very specific look. Like the
wide staring eyes. It's stylized as much as Egyptian art is so it was difficult to get the
correct look. I drew numerous drawings which were just copies of the artwork I could
find from the old stone churches. Some of the artwork was damaged and it was
difficult to find but I was told I could use the library at St. Vartan and was also given a
few books on the subjects which was great help! I actually found the stylized look
difficult to get and would have been more comfortable drawing it however I might
want but the stylized look was important for accuracy. I think my drawing was more
stylized than the sculptor's final work but I must admit that secretly I like his more
human looking faces than the more stylized version that finally was approved.
After many years, I thought the doors were maybe a figment of my imagination and
would never make an appearance. The Church had to struggle to raise the money for
all the projects that were involved, including the work to solidify the structure so it
could hold the doors. But finally, Setrak called me to say the doors were complete.
Even still I hardly believed it. Was this something I ever worked on? When I finally
showed up at his metal working shop, I was amazed and astounded at how beautiful
they looked. I'm sure a tear or two sprang to my eyes! Wow! I had deliberately not had
a lot of hope because after going through so many other hands and different
mediums, I had no idea how it would transition. But it was a wonderful job done by
the sculptor (and as I say, I was pleased by the faces!) and he made it look 3D in a
great way.
It was beautiful and I can't wait to see them actually go onto the church,
which I hear there will be a ceremony in May sometime. Hurrah! So that's my story of
how the doors were created from my end of the drawing board. I'd love to hear the
sculptor and I heard some of Setrak's work. He showed me photos of the process
which was very well-documented.
My description of the story based on the research I did.
King Trdat III was used to having whatever he wanted. He was a strong man and a
strong fighter. His father had been assassinated and so King Trdat III wasn't opposed
to killing if it suited his purposes. Maybe his father's violent death helped harden
him. There was a man named Gregory, a religious man, and HIS father is the man who
killed Trdat's father. So, Trdat wouldn't be too pleased to meet Gregory either.
Gregory felt bad that his father killed Trdat's father so he ended up working for Trdat
in order to assist him. However, when Trdat found out the relationship to his father's
death, he was so mad that he locked Gregory away for 13 years. If a kind woman
hadn't thrown Gregory bread, he probably would have totally starved to death and
died.
In the meantime, the King was married but he was used to having what he wanted.
Well, he heard about a beautiful woman, Hripsime, who was an early version of a Nun.
Everyone talked about how beautiful she was and when the King met her, he agreed
with the stories. He had to have her. But no! She wouldn't. He was married and also
she believed in Christianity. She wanted to remain a virgin and she declined him.
There was nothing he could do about it.
He was obsessed with her. She was with a bunch of other Nuns and Trdat got so mad,
he had them all rounded up to be tortured and then they were all killed. Then he went
crazy. They said he literally became like a wild boar and no one could talk to him.
This went on for a long time. Too long and no one knew what to do about the
situation. Until one day, the King's sister said...."you know what? I think that that nice
guy Gregory who you locked up all those years ago can help you. I had a dream about
it and it can't hurt. Let's see if he's even still alive after all this time." So Gregory was
pulled out of the dungeon. And he did! He saved the day.
King Trdat became a devout Christian. So devout that he wanted to end polytheism abruptly in Armenia which he did with multiple battles. However, he truly believed in his cause so strongly that he converted the whole country to Christianity and he was the first to do so. St. Gregory helped him for the rest of his life. Christianity took over Trdat's life so much, I think he forgot about his wife. However we chose to include her in the drawing (rather than Hripsome or the King's sister who also were contenders) to show
the royal couple as a unit converting to Christianity.
Feedback
Timothy P. Knauth (Newport, RI) wrote:
"Awe inspiring...I love the mountain with the castle... is that a pelican doorhandle?"
Sheri Knauth (Baltimore, MD) wrote:
"are those your doors? I finally get to see them. Where are they being installed exactly?"
LaShanda Hunt (Syracuse) wrote:
"Is this what you sketched? That's hot!!!"
Deanna Knauth wrote:
"Thanks, yes. It's my drawing that they sculpted. It's going to be on St. Vartans Armenian Church on 34th Street, on 2nd Avenue. It's a big church with a square around the front.
The castle is Etchmiadzin which is a famous church in Armenia (kinda like Rome for the Armenians). A lot of their church designs were mimicked after Etchmiadzin. The door handle is not a pelican, it's their crest (except it only looks like 1/2 of it, the other half
should be a lion, I'll ask about it). That was added after my design... The mountain is Mount Ararat also in Armenia, I think where Noah's ark was supposed to have landed."
: D
David B. Jacobs wrote:
"How cool is that. Kudos."
Timothy P. Knauth (Newport, RI) wrote:
"Whoah, Mount Ararat?!! how cool is THAT!! ..it didn't look much like a Pelican...it was a guess, really. ;-) "
Dorie-Ann Knauth wrote:
"Awesome!"
Deanna Knauth wrote:
" ; ) You are too funny, Timmy. Thanks, guys! I am definitely smiling. : D : D : D Hooray! "
Steven Mc Fadden wrote:
"Amazing!!!"
Kim Wiegert Connolly (Poughkeepsie, NY) wrote:
Wow! That is amazing Deanna, and absolutely beautiful!
Deanna Knauth wrote:
Thanks, Kim and Steve and Dorie-Ann and David. LOL I'm gonna blush. You're all so sweet...
Jim FitzGerald (Boston, MA) wrote:
WOW -- that is absolutely stunning! So beautiful Deanna!
David LeDoux (Fort Lauderdale, FL) wrote:
My Lord...i'm proud we are friends.
Deanna Knauth wrote:
So am I, David. ; )
Sheri Knauth (Baltimore, MD) wrote:
I like the way that each of the people are portrayed leaning in toward each other.
Vilma Noda wrote:
Wow...I'm impressed!!!! You are awesome!
Sheri Knauth (Baltimore, MD) wrote:
incredible. more words cannot even describe.
Deanna Knauth wrote:
Happy Mother's Day, Sheri! Thank you!
Timothy P. Knauth (Newport, RI) wrote:
they are seamless! and priceless...
Allison L. Gumber wrote:
They're big! :D
((Wow - Great job by you both!!!))
Ilian Ip wrote:
Beautiful work!! Congratulations!!
Julie Palmore (Richmond, VA) wrote:
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
David LeDoux (Fort Lauderdale, FL) wrote:
I said it recenltly and it is still very true...I'm proud just to be able to say we're friends...I can't imagine what it would feel like to look at something...like this...and know I helped create it...
Vilma Noda wrote:
I'm so thrilled for you!!!! This is freekin AWESOME!!!!
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and you have taken one of the first small steps you need toward getting your own personal artwork.
