Abstract
The expression ‘chiese di cristallo’ (crystal churches) appeared in the title of an article written by Cesare Brandi in 1968 for the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, which reviewed a photo exhibition on Armenian architecture. This definition for Armenian churches met some success in critical studies and it is often used in non-academic literature. The aim of this brief essay is to explain Brandi’s metaphor of crystal in light of earlier theoretical considerations – such as the ones of Alois Riegl and Wilhelm Worringer – and in relation to additional examples of this expression found in Italian art critics of the first half the 20th century.
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