Gli arredi armeni di Betlemme: per un approccio storico-artistico allo ‘status quo’
abstract
The present paper proposes an art-historical approach to the dynamics of the ‘status quo’ in the Palestinian holy sites, with a focus on the centuries-long, gradual appropriation by the Armenians of some spaces near and within Bethlehem’s Nativity church: namely, the structure adjoining the south-west corner of the church, the north transept, and the holy cave. Emphasis is laid on the ways in which décors, in the form of paintings, icons, curtains and textiles, liturgical implements, lamps, ceramic eggs, inscriptions, and even neon signs, came to play a role in manifesting each of the three ruling communities’ claims for hegemony in and control of the locus sanctus.
Keywords: Status quo • Bethlehem • Armenian community in Palestine • Décors • Nativity Church