On September 21, Armenia’s Independence Day, Armenia’s History Museum will unveil a landmark international exhibition titled “Sacred Dialogue: From the Louvre to the History Museum of Armenia.” The exhibition will open at 1:00 PM with a press conference featuring Armenia’s Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan, France’s Ambassador to Armenia Olivier Decottignies, President-Director of the Louvre Museum Laurence des Cars, and Director of the History Museum of Armenia Davit Poghosyan.
Curated by Davit Poghosyan, Nzhdeh Yeranyan, Sona Hovsepyan, Maximilien Durand, and Camille Chenet, the exhibition will, for the first time, bring 16 oriental Christian masterpieces from the Louvre’s collection to Armenia. These works will be displayed alongside treasures from the museum’s own holdings.
Spanning from the 4th to the 19th centuries, the exhibits trace a wide geographic range — from Bulgaria to Egypt, Crete to Syria. Visitors will see glass and wooden artifacts, khachkars, stone sculptures, architectural fragments, jewelry, liturgical garments, curtains, vessels, and icons.
Among the Louvre loans are:
- Fabric with the Prophet Jonah motif (4th–5th c., Egypt)
- Relief of a Cross and Fish (5th–7th c., Egypt)
- Reliquary cupboard (5th c., Italy)
- Chalice of Ganeh (6th–7th c., Byzantine Empire)
- Silver-gilt bracelet (12th–13th c., Byzantine Empire)
- Icon of the Virgin Mary (15th c., Crete)
- Icon of the Crucifixion (19th c., Jerusalem)
These will be presented alongside masterpieces from Armenia’s History Museum, including the Winged Cross of Dvin (7th c.), wooden capitals from Sevan’s St. Apostles Church (9th c.), an intricately carved church door (15th c.), one of Ani’s thuribles/incense burners (13th c.), the 1770 altar cross of Baghes’ St. John Monastery, the Gavar St. John Church curtain (19th c.), and others. A unique highlight will be the reliquary of St. Bartholomew the Apostle, on loan from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
Organizers emphasize that this joint exhibition highlights Armenia’s historic role as the first Christian state and showcases the artistic expressions of the Christian East, while also reflecting shared themes, interconnected traditions, and cultural exchanges with the Roman Empire and the Islamic world.
The exhibition is the first tangible outcome of a cooperation agreement signed last year between the History Museum of Armenia and the Louvre Museum, opening a new stage in bilateral cooperation. It is being held with the support of Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports.
The exhibition will remain open until March 21, 2026.
