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Svetitskhoveli Cathedral There are few churches and cathedrals in the world that have been sung about and praised in poems and even novels as much as the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. It is special in many ways, not only because it is almost a thousand years old and its foundations date back even further, to the 4th century. Since its construction, the cathedral has been the spiritual centre of the country and the coronation and burial place of Georgian kings. In keeping with the country's turbulent history, the cathedral has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Today, Svetitskhoveli is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and remains an important place of pilgrimage for Orthodox Christians. Complex of Svetitskhoveli Cathedral 1. Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (11th century) History of Svetitskhoveli Cathedral After the Christianisation of Georgia in 3317, a chapel was built on the site of the present cathedral. The chapel was founded by King Mirian, who was also the first Georgian king to be baptised a Christian. Mirian's wife (Queen Nana) and several princes and nobles of the country were baptised in the first church. Archaeological excavations have shown that the first church was built of wood. Why the first church was built on this site - the legend and name of Svetitskhoveli According to legend, two Jews from Georgia - Elios of Mtskheta and Longinos of Karsna - were sent to Jesus' trial to vote for his acquittal. They arrived in Jerusalem too late, however, and by then Jesus had been found guilty and sentenced to death by crucifixion. Nevertheless, the Georgian Jews managed to buy Jesus' robe from the Roman soldiers and bring it to Georgia. On their return to Mtskheta, Elio's sister - Sidonia - clutched Jesus' robe and died on the spot of grief at his death. But she clutched the cloak so tightly that it could not be taken from her hands, and so she was buried with it. After some time, a cedar tree grew over the tomb and three centuries later, when Georgia became Christianised, it was decided to build the country's first church from the cedar tree over the tomb. The tree was felled and seven pillars were made from its wood: six were easily placed, but the seventh simply could not be erected. It was only after King Mirian, Queen Nana and the 'Enlightener of Georgia', Nino, had prayed one night that an angel came and placed the pillar so that the church could be completed. Later, a resinous liquid oozed out of the wooden pillar, which had the power to cure diseases: The blind could see and the lame could walk. That is why the church was named after the seventh miraculous pillar, Sveti-tskhoveli, which means "life-giving pillar". Construction of the second church in the 5th century In the 5th century, under King Vakhtang Gorgasali, the country largely freed itself from Byzantine and Sassanid influence and the Georgian Church gained autocephaly (ecclesiastical independence; until the 5th century, the Georgian Apostolic Church was under the Antiochian Patriarchate). King Vakhtang Gorgasali decided to build a large basilica in Mtskheta. Architecturally, the new church was a three-nave stone basilica that clearly towered over all the sacred buildings in the country. Construction of the cathedral in the 11th century At the beginning of the 11th century, the Bagrationi dynasty came to power. The first king of this dynasty, Bagrat III (1001-1014), managed to unite Georgia and control the whole country. During his reign, in 1010, he began to build the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. The construction of the cathedral was continued by his successor Giorgi I (1014-1027). The masterpiece was finally completed during the reign of King Bagrat IV (1027-1072). The cathedral was built in 19 years (from 1010 to 1029), but it was not a completely new construction, but an artistic and architecturally very elaborate remodelling of the basilica from the 5th century. The 11th century is considered the beginning of Georgia's 'Golden Age' and several great cathedrals were built during this century, including the Bagrati Cathedral in Kutaisi and the Alaverdi Cathedral near Telavi. In 1283 the cathedral was severely damaged by an earthquake and was not restored until the 14th century by King Giorgi V. However, in the same century the cathedral was plundered by the troops of the Central Asian military leader and conqueror Timur Lenk, the frescoes were largely destroyed and parts of the dome collapsed. In the 16th century, the Georgian King Alexander restored the church and rebuilt the collapsed dome. A thorough restoration of the cathedral took place under King Rostom (1632-1638). Although Rostom had converted to Islam, several churches were restored and rebuilt during his reign. Cathedral in Tsarist Russia (1801-1917) In the 19th century, under the rule of Tsarist Russia, the cathedral aroused great historical and archaeological interest. Several excavations were carried out and the cathedral was restored. In the 1920s, the Georgian historian Platon Ioseliani was commissioned to make copies of the precious frescoes in the cathedral. Ioseliani hired the Italian painter P. Rossi, who carried out his work conscientiously. The copies of the frescoes, some of which date back to the 11th century, were of great historical and cultural importance. Rossi's paintings were accompanied by inscriptions and explanations by Platon Ioseliani, translated by the French orientalist Marie Brosset. These paintings are now kept at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Restoration and conservation work in the 19th century was not always carried out with care. Especially in the period 1837-1844, under the Russian Exarchs Evgenis and Ioanikis (church leaders appointed by Tsarist Russia), the church suffered greatly. During this period, small prayer rooms and some commercial buildings on the cathedral grounds were demolished and most of the frescoes were painted over with white paint in the name of "church restoration". Cathedral in the Soviet Era (1921-1991) During the Soviet era, the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral lost its religious function, but was open to visitors and could be seen as a place of interest. The last major restoration of the cathedral took place between 1960 and 1970. Most of the 19th century white paint was removed and the 16th, 17th and 18th century murals were brought back to light. Following Georgia's independence in 1991, the cathedral was re-consecrated and regular services have been held here ever since. Architecture and Facades The existing building, dating from the 11th century, is a cross-domed church (height: 49 metres; length: 57.7 metres; width: 27 metres). Most of the cathedral is made of yellow sandstone, but green sandstone and red tuff were also used for some of the decoration on the façade. The cathedral was built by the Georgian architect Arsukidze under the supervision of Patriarch Melkisedek. The architect's name is mentioned in two places, on the eastern and northern facades of the cathedral. Western facade The western façade (the side facing the main entrance) is the most elaborately decorated and is largely preserved from the 11th century. The reliefs include several depictions of grapes, an inseparable part of Georgian church ornamentation, as well as crosses of various shapes. In the centre, on the upper side, under the triangle of the third roof, the scene of the Holy Communion can be seen: Jesus is seated in the centre, making a blessing gesture, framed on the left and right by two angels, one holding a carafe of wine and the other a loaf of bread. At the main entrance, above the door, there is a painting from the 19th century: Mary with the Infant Jesus and the Archangels Michael and Gabriel to her left and right. Northern facade The north facade is less decorated. There is a peacock above the central window. The peacock, the bird of paradise, has a special place on the facades of Georgian churches. It symbolises heaven, happiness and good fortune. It was also long believed that peacock meat was imperishable, so the peacock came to symbolise the resurrection and immortality of the soul, and therefore immortality. Above the peacock is a right arm holding a chisel, the symbol of stonemasons. The inscription beside the arm reads: "The hand of Arsukidze, servant of God, may he be forgiven". On the north side, in front of the church wall, you can still see the foundations of the prayer and utility rooms, which were demolished during the renovation works in the 19th century. Eastern façade In the centre of the façade is a long window decorated with red tuff. Below the window is a small section of the "Last Judgement": Christ in the centre, surrounded by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist, with two angels above announcing the beginning of the Last Judgement. The two ox heads on the flanks are pre-Christian symbols that decorated the old basilica from the 5th century. The oxen ornaments also emphasised the role of agriculture in the country. The inscription below tells us that this façade was restored by a certain Mr Maghaladze. Above the long window is an ornament of grapes and twelve medallions symbolising the twelve apostles to whom the cathedral is dedicated. The inscription on the medallions is intended to prove that the architect did not live to see the completion of his building: "This holy church was built by the hand of His miserable servant Arsukidze. May your soul find peace, O Lord". Above the medallion, next to the small windows, there is a lion symbolising St Mark the Evangelist and an eagle for St John the Evangelist. Southern façade On the left, red tuff has been used to decorate the façade. The symbolism of the grape, the sacred plant of Georgia, the blossoming cross, two grapes, St George killing a dragon, seraphic angels with six wings and the crucifixion of Jesus can be seen again. Interior and frescoes The dome of the cathedral has sixteen narrow windows that allow plenty of light into the interior. The cathedral was frescoed soon after it was built, but little of the 11th century painting remains. The frescoes that can be seen in the cathedral today date from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Some of them were supplemented with new paintings in the 19th century. The frescoes are inscribed in Greek and Georgian. Eastern side Jesus Pantocrator can be seen above the altar on the east side. The original painting dates from the 11th century, but the fresco was repainted in the 19th century. Angels are depicted above the fresco: behind Jesus, to the left and right, are cherubim and seraphim standing on wheels of fire, and the archangels Mikhail and Gabriel at Christ's side. Below Jesus are the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist. In the northern corner of the central nave is a 17th-century painting of the Annunciation. The painting on the north side, on the arch of two connecting columns, is divided into two registers. The medallions depict the martyrs executed on the orders of the emperors Diocletian and Maximilian. St Christopher is depicted under the north-west column. According to oral tradition, he was indescribably beautiful and asked God to make him ugly so that he would not be the object of seduction. The biblical kings of Israel - David and Solomon - are depicted in the triangle of the arch. North wall The painting on the north wall is divided into four sections: 1. the sermon of Jesus in Jerusalem and the Pharisees The dome The fresco under the dome is damaged, but Jesus can be made out to some extent. Below Jesus, the four evangelists are depicted as a lion, an eagle, a bull and an angel. Southern side On the southern side is a 3-metre high and 1-metre-wide arched building. Jesus' robe is said to have been buried underneath this building and the seventh "life-giving pillar" also stood here. The outer walls of the building are painted with frescoes from the 17th century. They depict scenes from the Bible and the Christianisation of the country. On the southern wall of the cathedral are frescoes from the 17th century: Jesus in the centre and astrological signs all around. The scene depicts Jesus as judge and ruler of the universe. All around are scenes from the Book of Psalms by Dawit. The lower register shows the worship of Jesus through dance. On the left-hand side is the Revelation by John or the "Apocalypse". Building, rooms and extension in the interior Right at the entrance on the right (southern) side is a small baptismal font made of stone. The baptismal font was used for the baptism of King Mirian and Queen Nana, who also Christianised the country over time. Just a few steps further on is a small model of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which dates back to the 15th century. In front of the altar, on the south side, there is a stone seat for the patriarch. The seat is also painted. In the 15th century, however, the Patriarch's seat was moved to the centre of the cathedral, closer to the congregation, where there is now a large wooden chair. There are two small chapels next to the altar: on the left is the chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas, which houses a relic, a small ankle of Saint Andrew the First-Called; and on the right is the chapel dedicated to the Prophet Elijah. In the centre of this chapel is a small fountain, under which the robe of the prophet Elijah is said to be buried. The water from the well is said to have healing powers. Above the altar is a secret sanctuary, not visible at first glance and only accessible via a ladder. The Holy Cross (Jvari Patiosani) On the left (northern) side there is a small cross from the 4th century with small parts of the Holy Cross of Christ and the Cross of St Nino. The cross is kept in a silver case decorated with precious stones and ornaments. Tombs of the Georgian Kings According to historians, ten Georgian kings are buried inside the cathedral, but only three of the tombs have been preserved over the centuries. These are the tombs of Vakhtang Gorgasali, Irakli II and the last king of Georgia, Giorgi XII. The defence walls The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is surrounded by a five-metre-high defensive wall of natural stone and brick, which forms a 121-metre long and 110-metre-wide churchyard. The crown of the wall is designed for the defence of the church and is reinforced with merlons. The wall has eight towers of different sizes, which are now used as living quarters for the monks. The defensive wall was built in the 18th century by King Irakli II, but archaeological excavations have shown that there was already a wall in the 11th century. Entrance Gate The two-storey entrance gate on the west side is made of sandstone and, like the cathedral, dates from the 11th century. On the ground floor of the gate there are two side rooms, each measuring 22 m², and on the second floor there is a large room measuring 70 m². The two ox heads on the façade of the main door are pre-Christian symbols. The ox ornamentation also emphasised the role of agriculture in the country. In addition to the main entrance gate to the west, there were two other gates in the defensive wall to the north and south. The wall also has two narrow gates facing each other on the north and south sides. Palace of Catholicos Melkisedek from the 11th century The ruins of the palace of Patriarch Melkisedek, 38 metres long and 18.5 metres wide, are located on the south side of the wall in the Cathedral area. The palace was destroyed several times and now lies in ruins. Palace of Catholicos Anton II from the 18th century. The palace stands at the corner of the southern and eastern walls and was built of stone and brick. The palace is in good condition and is still in use today. Location of the Cathedral The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is located in the town of Mtskheta, at the confluence of the Aragvi and Kura Rivers. Things to know Svetitskhovloba Folk Festival Every year on 14 October, the Day of Svetitskhovloba Cathedral is celebrated. On this day, the Georgian Church commemorates the arrival of Jesus' robe in the city of Mtskheta. 14 October is an official holiday in Georgia. A novel dedicated to Svetitskoveli Cathedral In the twentieth century, the writer Konstantin Gamsakhurdia wrote a novel called "The Right Hand of the Great Master". With a great sense of detail and a keen eye for the monumental, he wove facts, legends and chronicles into a colourful tapestry of Georgian history. The author himself lived in Germany for several years and graduated from Humboldt University with a doctorate in philosophy in 1919. He knew Thomas Mann personally, was at war with the Tsar and, after initial resentment, eventually reconciled himself to Soviet power. He began to write in 1923. On following trip, you will visit Svetitskhoveli |
