Detail of Saint Theodore on the Northwest Facade
Surb Khach Church
Church of the Holy Cross
Akdamar Island, Van Province, Turkey


St. Theodore
Soldier Martyr, Roman general and convert to Christianity. Exposed as a Christian, but the military tribunal decided he was a good soldier who had made a mistake, told him to reconsider. He was set free but promptly burned down a pagan temple. He is represented riding a horse and killing a snake-like dragon (symbol of cosmic evil) with his spear.
Source: Aghtamar

The "church of the Holy Cross" was built on Aght'amar Island in Lake Van between the years 915 and 921 by Armenian King Gagik Artzruni.



Referenced on p.19, The Armies of Islam 7th-11th Centuries by David Nicolle & Angus McBride
Armenia was largely under Muslim overlordship in the 9th-10th centuries, and this is reflected in depictions of its armies, although Byzantine traditions also persist. The early 10th century church of Gagik has many fine carvings; one of the lesser known is this mounted saint wearing a scale hauberk of a type that was probably common along the war-torn Anatolian frontier. (Church of Gagik, Lake Van)

Back to Warrior Saints on the Northwest Facade, Surb Khach Church of the Holy Cross, Akdamar Island, Van Province, Turkish Armenia