ROCK-CUT CHURCHES.
CONTENTS.
Churches at Tchekerman, Inkerman, and Sebastopol—Excavations at Kieghart
and Vardzie.
Intermediate between the Armenian province which has just been described
and the Russian, which comes next in the series, lies a territory of
more than usual interest to the archæologist, though hardly demanding
more than a passing notice in a work devoted to architecture. In the
neighbourhood of Kertch, which was originally colonised by a people of
Grecian or Pelasgic origin, are found numerous tumuli and sepulchres
belonging generally to the best age of Greek art, but which, barring
some slight local peculiarities, would hardly seem out of place in the
cemeteries of Etruria or Crete.
At a later age it was from the shores of the Palus Mœotis and the
Caucasus that tradition makes Woden migrate to Scandinavia, bearing with
him that form of Buddhism[251] which down to the 11th century remained
the religion of the North—while, as if to mark the presence of some
strange people in the land, we find everywhere rock-cut excavations of a
character, to say the least of it, very unusual in the West.
These have not yet been examined with the care necessary to enable us to
speak very positively regarding them;[252] but, from what we do know, it
seems that they were not in any instance tombs, like those in Italy and
many of those in Africa or Syria. Nor can we positively assert that any
of them were viharas or monasteries[253] like most of those in India.
Generally they seem to have been ordinary dwellings, but in some
instances appropriated by the Christians and formed into churches.
[Illustration: 369. Cave of Inkerman. (From Dubois de Montpereux.)]
One, apparently, of the oldest is a rectangular excavation at Tchekerman
in the Crimea. It is 37 ft. in length by 21 in width, with hardly any
decoration on its walls, but having in the centre a choir with four
pillars on each face, which there seems no doubt was originally devoted
to Christian purposes. The cross on the low screen that separates it
from the nave is too deeply cut and too evidently integral to have been
added. But for this it would seem to have been intended for a Buddhist
vihara.
[Illustration: 370. Rock-cut Church at Inkerman. (From Dubois de
Montpereux.)]
Under the fortress at Inkerman—facing the position held by our
army—there is an excavation undoubtedly of Christian origin. It is a
small church with side-aisles, apse, and all the necessary
accompaniments. Beyond this is a square excavation apparently intended
as a refectory, and other apartments devoted to the use of a monastic
establishment. These again are so like what we find among the Buddhist
excavations in India as to be quite startling. The one point in which
this church differs from a Buddhist chaitya is that the aisle does not
run round behind the altar. This is universally the case in Buddhist,
but only exceptionally so in Christian, churches.
[Illustration: 371. View in Church Cave, near Sebastopol.]
Close to Sebastopol is another small church cave with its accompanying
monastery. This one is said to be comparatively modern, and if its
paintings are parts of the original design it may be so, but no certain
data are given for fixing the age of the last two examples. That under
the fortress (Woodcut No. 371) seems, however, to be of considerable
antiquity.
There is one which in plan is very like those just described at Vardzie,
said to belong to the 12th century, and another, almost absolutely
identical with a Buddhist vihara, at Kieghart in Armenia, which has a
date upon it, A.D. 1288.
On the banks of the Kour, however, at Ouplous-Tsikhe and Vardzie, are
some excavations which are either temples or monasteries, and which
range from the Christian era downwards. These are generally assumed to
be residences—one is called the palace of Queen Thamar—and they were
evidently intended for some stately purpose. Yet they were not temples
in any sense in which that term would be employed by the Greek or Roman
world. Whatever their destination, these rock-cut examples make, when
taken altogether, as curious a group of monuments as are to be found in
this corner of Asia, and which may lead afterwards to curious
archæological inferences. At present we are hardly in a position to
speculate on the subject, and merely point to it here as one well
meriting further investigation.