Syriac Identity of Lebanon part 9: Architecture: The Lebanese Trifora

It was Syriac Maronite Patriarch Estephanos Douayhi who, in the seventeenth century, gave us the meaning of these triple arches. He wrote: ‘They are the light of the Holy Trinity”. But many modern scholars are inclined to say that this is a later explanation and not necessarily objective. We will therefore appeal to other much earlier evidence, i.e. from the sixth century: the ‘Suguito of Edessa’ which describes the Hagia Sophia, the Basilica of Edessa. This Basilica is a contemporary cathedral of the Hagia Sophia of Constantinople and it dates from the same period as the Suguito of Edessa (a Suguito is a Syriac hymn). It uses the same description given ten centuries later by Patriarch Estéphanos Douayhi. It states, “Their light is the light of the Holy Trinity.”

We actually know that it was common in the Byzantine Empire to have two architects work on one monument. One of them was responsible for the technical aspects, the other concentrated on the symbolism. The architects Assaf and Addai worked on the Basilica of Edessa.

Symbolism made the monument a sort of microcosm representing: Space, Time, and Spirituality. The cupola was the representation of the Orbis Romanus, the Entire Universe. It represents the first factor: Space. The forty windows at its base symbolized the forty centuries: Integritas Seucularum, the Integrity of Time. This is our second factor. Under them, we always note the triple arches or triple bay. They are the representation of the Holy Trinity as mentioned by the Suguito of Edessa in the sixth century, and by the Syriac Maronite Patriarch in the seventeenth century. This is our third factor: Spirituality.

Trifora Hagia Sophia

Church Trifora

Lily's

Lily's in Kaslik

Lily's in Beébdét

Woodwork

Hadat woodwork

Trifora on churches, palaces, and houses

We find the triple arches on many Syriac Maronite churches, palaces, and ordinary houses. In Lebanese architecture, there is very little ornamentation. The most commonly used feature is the lily flower. It can appear on the central arch or on the column’s capital, and it can appear on the arches facing upwards or downwards.

Often there is no lily carved into the stones. But this important feature is still there. It is found in the woodwork of the triple bays. It has always been incorporated into the rich Gothic design. What does this ubiquitous feature represent? What is the intended message behind it? To answer this question, we turn to our fourth source: the Armenian carpets studied by author Volkmar Gantzhorn.

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Volkmar Gantzhorn was often told that the carpets he was mentioning were Turkish carpets for Muslim prayer. However, he was able to prove the Christian origin of the art thanks to the Gorzi Carpet in the Berlin Museum. The Gorzi Carpet clearly contained an Armenian inscription mentioning Saint Hripsimé. It was dated to the year 1651. In addition to the inscription and the date in the frame design, a second frame with lily flowers appears.

Gantzhorn tells us that this is not, as most people assumed, a Turkish tulip but a lily of the species Lilium Candidum, the White Lily, which has its origins in Lebanese antiquity. For Phoenicians, it was as important as the cedar. For Christians, it symbolizes the grace of God. But what is the grace of God doing here?

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In Hadat, North Lebanon, the Lily appears on the arch next to the snake of the capital. In the Christian artistic tradition, the serpent caused Adam’s fall, but the Grace of God brought him Salvation. Furthermore, if we look at the Gorzi carpet, we notice the duplication of the columns.

Jules Leroy came to the same observation while studying several Syriac manuscripts. He says this duplication is the simplification of perspective. It is a two dimensional image of the church’s nave that leads us to Jesus Christ and to His Kingdom.

So to summarize the entire message, the triple bay is the Light of the Holy Trinity that leads us to heaven, through the Church of Jesus Christ. And for us to be able to enter, we need the Grace of God, which is symbolized here by the Lily Flower.

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By doubling the columns, Armenian and Syriac artists created a two-dimensional interpretation of the nave. But what is most amazing is to see Lebanese architects adopting this two-dimensional representation in their three-dimensional work. A palace in Amshit (image above) perfectly illustrates this phenomenon. In this example, the architect was inspired by the two-dimensional representations of the Christian nave. He doubled the columns as if he was composing in a manuscript. And most importantly, we can see all the elements defined by Volkmar Gantzhorn, The triple arches of the Holy Trinity, the duplicated columns of the Church of Christ, and, of course, the Lilies representing the Grace of God.

The concept of Salvation was not just an unconscious act for Lebanese artists or masons (see image below: Mayphouq ND 1891-1904). Soteriology, the theology of Salvation, was at the center of the Christian Syriac Maronite art as we can see in the Monastery of Our Lady in Mayphouq.

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If we take a closer view at its triple bay, we notice it contains Syriac inscriptions. And when we get even closer, we can read under the cross:

• Lo purqono élo ba slivo – There is no salvation but by the cross;
• W lo 7ayé élo bé – And no life but in it.

 

The architect and mason made a powerful statement here. A clear evocation of the concept of salvation. The people were always influenced by their church, their faith, values, and spirituality that left its traces all over their art and architecture. But the influence of the Church was even more direct. The monastery was the school, the university, and the hospital. It organized agriculture, industry, and construction.

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Above is a photograph showing the construction site of a house in Mount Lebanon in the late nineteenth century. If we take a closer look and analyze it in more detail, we notice the architect standing on the right side supervising the works. This architect is a priest.

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Dr Amine Jules Iskandar is an architect and the former president of the Syriac Maronite Union-Tur Levnon. Amine Jules Iskandar has written several articles on the Syriac Maronites, their language, culture, and history. You can follow him @Amineiskandar2. 

This article by malfono Amine Iskandar in the series Syriac Identity of Lebanon was taken from his book “La dimension syriaque dans l’art et l’architecture au Liban”, Dr. Amine Jules Iskandar, CEDLUSEK, Kaslik, 2001.

For the article in Spanish. Also read:

Syriac Identity of Lebanon – part 1: Who are the Syriacs?

Syriac Identity of Lebanon – part 2: Syriac Language and Alphabet

Syriac Identity of Lebanon – part 3: Maronite Patriarchs and the Preservation of Syriac Identity

Syriac Identity of Lebanon – part 4: Why is Spoken Lebanese a Syriac Dialect?

Syriac Identity of Lebanon – part 5: Typical Lebanese Phrases

Syriac Identity of Lebanon – part 6: Syriac Lebanese vocabulary

Syriac Identity of Lebanon – Part 7: Syriac Lebanese Anthroponyms

Syriac Identity of Lebanon – Part 8: Syriac Lebanese Toponyms