Saint Gregory and King Trdat, miniature

This page of an illuminated manuscript depicts the baptism of King Trdat by Saint Gregory. The repentant king is shown kneeling and humble, while his subdued wild, pagan nature is represented as an allegorical boar. The miniature is kept in Vienna, in the library of the Mekhitarists.

Saint Gregory wears a bishop’s mitre and vestments; he blesses with his right hand and holds a book in his left. The king, crowned and dressed in orange, kneels with one hand on his chest and the other stretched towards the saint. In the background, against a golden sky, is a city with domed buildings and towers, and cypress trees.