중국 내몽골 자치구 올론 숨의 동방 기독교 미술

Abstract

This article deals with the Eastern Christianity funerary art in Olon süme, Inner Mongolia. It discusses about the cross and lotus flower decoration of funerary relief sculptures found in Olon süme. It compares them with other Eastern Christianity art including those found in Beijing and Quanzhou. It examines several major tomb complexes in Olon süme and searched Eastern Christian related burial tomb sculptures as well as stone epitaphs. Olon süme tomb stones usually show relief sculptures of a cross motif above a lotus flower on the 2-3 sides of the head part of the stones. The shape and the motifs of those tomb stones can be compared with the similar examples in Quanzhou region in Fujian province, South China which many Eastern Christianity tomb stones have been discovered. The combination of the cross and the lotus flower is the same feature of the tomb stones of the two regions. On the other hand, the appearance of an angel in those Quanzhou tomb stones is not seen in tomb sculptures of Inner Mongolia. The origin of the combined motif of a cross and a lotus flower can be traced back to the Tang dynasty as seen in the stone pillar found in Luoyang, Henan dated to 814.