The origin of the Armenian architecture artistic decoration forms during the reign of Bagratunis

The methods of artistic decoration and the ancient and early medieval origins of their form creation used in Armenian architecture during the reign of the Bagratunis are presented. The focus of the research is the ornamental decoration of the religious structures from the 9th to the 11th centuries: portals, window arches, pilasters, wall capitals, ornamental lines, and the decorative motifs (plant, geometric, iconographic) mounted on them. The aim of the research is to highlight, through comprehensive analysis, the synthesis of Armenian medieval architecture and the ornamental art of the Bagratunyats period, emphasizing those features formed by the direct influence of preceding periods. The scientific innovation lies in the detailed study of the ornamental decoration methods of various structures, depending on different architectural schools of the mentioned period. The origins of form creation and the general features characterizing the given period were clarified, enabling the determination of the monument's date when bibliographic and lithological data are scarce. Archive materials and scientific literature were studied, and photographs, measurements, and comparative analyses were conducted. As a result of the examination, it was concluded that the decorative methods used in the early stage of the developed Middle Ages were mainly influenced by ancient Hellenistic and early medieval architecture. These methods, with their new manifestations, played an important role in the formation of the stylistic direction of that period and were inherited by the following centuries.