Vardges Sureniants, “Desecrated Sanctuary”, 1895
The well-known painting “Desecrated Sanctuary” (1895) by the Armenian artist Vardges Sureniants. It is a work of history painting, created under the impression of the mass pogroms and massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1894–1895.
The painting shows a desecrated Armenian church. Sacred books and church vessels are scattered on the floor, and the body of a murdered clergyman lies by the wall. The artist depicted every stone of the church with great love and skill.
The painting is now kept in the National Gallery of Armenia in Yerevan.
