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Ateni Sioni Church Ateni Sioni Church is one of the oldest cross-domed churches in Georgia, but unlike other sacred buildings of the same age, the Ateni Sioni Church is beautifully painted with frescoes, most of which are still well preserved. The name The name Sioni comes from Mount Zion in Jerusalem. It is common in Orthodoxy for churches to be named after holy places or saints. It is interesting to know that all the Sion churches in Georgia are dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. The second name - Ateni - was given to the church because it is located in the Ateni Valley, on the Tana River. History of Ateni Sioni First basilica of Ateni As early as the 5th century, a three-nave basilica was built on the site of present-day Ateni Sioni and soon afterwards, at the latest in the 6th century, a monastery was founded here. We know of the existence of the first basilica and monastery through archaeological excavations and also through an interesting written document from the Syrian Mar Behnam Monastery. The document states that the Syrian monk Svimeon visited the monastery of Tana in 540 and threatened the local bishop and his priest with anathema (divine curse) because he had seen many confessional inconsistencies in monastic life. Whether the anathema was the reason for the dissolution of the monastery and the subsequent demolition of the church, or whether the church was destroyed for other reasons, is unfortunately not known. One thing is certain: in the 7th century a new church called Ateni Sioni (Sion Church of Ateni) was built on the foundations of the old basilica. The present cross-domed church of Ateni Sioni is dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. In the 7th century, the East Georgian Grand Prince of the Guaramid dynasty, Nerse, and his son Stepanoz, succeeded in driving the Arab invaders out of southern Georgia and parts of Armenia. They then built the new church of Ateni Sioni. In the same century, monastic life began again in the church and at the end of the 7th century, Atenis Sioni was abandoned. In the 10th century, the Georgian princely Baghvashi family took control of the Ateni valley and began a thorough renovation of Ateni Sioni. To this end, they invited the Armenian stonemason and architect Todosak. An inscription by him and his 10th century relief are still well preserved on the façade of the church. In the same century, the fortress of Ateni was built near the church and the small settlement of Ateni was established between the fortress and the church, on the banks of the Tana River. In the 11th century, under King Dawit the Constructor, Ateni became a city, mentioned by King Dawit as a very important settlement near Tbilisi. Dawit the Builder even moved the royal treasury to Ateni. At that time there were three currencies in circulation in Georgia: the Byzantine, the Persian and the Georgian. Several of these coins were found during archaeological excavations in the immediate vicinity of the church, suggesting that the royal treasury had been moved. In the 11th century the church of Sioni in Ateni was also frescoed. Over the centuries, the village of Ateni has seen many battles and invasions, but as the main target of the attacks was the fortress and not the church, the Sioni of Ateni has survived the turbulent times without major damage. Even the village of Ateni was weakened by the many battles over the centuries, many of its inhabitants moved away and by the end of the 18th century Ateni was no longer mentioned as a town in the Georgian chronicles, but as a small village. Due to its historical and cultural importance, Ateni Sioni never lacked for attention. At the beginning of the 20th century, archaeological excavations and pictorial studies began here. During the Soviet period, the church had no religious function, but could be visited as a tourist attraction. It was not until shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989 that church life in Atenis Sioni resumed, and since then, after a long interruption, regular services have been held. Architecture of the church of Ateni Sioni Ateni Sioni is a cross-domed church in the basic form of a tetraconcho, with apses on the four sides of the building. The church is 22 metres high, 24 metres long and 19 metres wide. It is built of greenish, yellow and partly reddish sandstone in the style of the Dzhvari church in Mtskheta. Atenis Sioni has two entrances, one to the south and one to the north. Exterior facades The façade decoration uses ornaments and figures from the old basilica, the oldest of which are the deer drinking water on the north side and the griffin on the south side - both ornaments date from the 5th century. There are several elements from the 7th century. On the northern façade there is a composition with Jesus and the arch-martyr Stephen kneeling before him. On the western façade there is a hunting scene with a horseman on horseback aiming his bow at three deer. The rest of the figures, ornaments and decorations in the church of Ateni Sioni date from the 10th century. The northern façade depicts a scene from the life of Saint Dawit Gareja, in which his disciple Lukiane is milking the deer. The western facade shows Samson fighting the lion and the prophet Hambakoum being led by an angel to Daniel in the den. The eastern façade depicts the Grand Duke Rati I, under whose reign the church was thoroughly renovated in the 10th century. On the southern façade there is another 10th century figure: the Armenian restorer of the church, Todosak, with the inscription "In the name of God - Todosak, builder of this holy church". Inscription of the Georgian kings on the facades of the church of Atenis Sioni The important role of the church of Ateni Sioni is also indicated by several inscriptions left by Georgian kings on the western façade. These are: - King Bagrat the IV and his grandson King Dawit the Builder from the 11th century. The inscription of King Bagrat IV says: "Jesus, have mercy on King Bagrat". The inscription of King Dawit says: "Jesus, in the name of God much wealth was brought to Ateni by the hand of King Dawit, whoever reads this, pray for me". The inscription of King Demetre I reads: "Jesus, praise King Demetre". Frescoes of the Ateni Sioni Church Frescoes from the 7th century. The interior of Atenis Sioni was already painted in the 7th century. At that time, however, it was not yet customary to paint churches with frescoes of people, and especially not completely. Instead, the walls were usually decorated with crosses of various shapes and sizes, as well as with inscriptions. Of the original painting, only the cross below the dome remains, as well as small flowering crosses on the side columns, symbolising the evangelists. The inscriptions in the interior of the Atenis Sioni date from the 8th, 9th and 10th centuries. The inscriptions are various prayers, as well as the names of princes and kings with their dates of birth and death. Frescoes of Ateni Sioni from the 11th century. Most of the frescoes preserved in the church of Atenis Sioni date from the 11th century. As the church is dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, most of the frescoes are directly or indirectly related to the mother of God. The apse The apse shows the mother of God with Jesus and the archangels Gabriel and Michael. In the third row are the ten Fathers of the Church. Above the apse of the altar is a medallion of God with Jesus Christ as Pantocrator, flanked on either side by four great prophets: David, Moses, Solomon and Aaron. Frescoes on the south side On the south side there is an archangel followed by the apocryphal representation of the life of the Virgin Mary, divided into four registers: First register 1. the rejection of Joachim's sacrifice by the high priest Second register 1. Meeting of Anne and Joachim at the Golden Gate Third register 1. Annunciation of Mary Fourth Register 1. Birth of the Virgin Mary Frescoes on the north side The north side of Ateni Sioni, like the south side, is divided into four registers. The composition begins with the Archangel. First register 1. Presentation of Christ in the Temple Second register 1. the transfiguration of Christ Third Register 1. the Last Supper Fourth register 1. the resurrection of Jesus Western apse The western apse in the interior of Ateni Sioni is dedicated to a complex composition of the Last Judgement. In the upper register there is an angel, followed by praying apostles and other angels. In the second register, above the window, is the Hetoimasia (the preparation of the throne of Christ according to the Revelation of John). To the south of the apse is the Kingdom of Heaven with the saints, and on the north side of the same apse are fragments of Hell. On the lowest register of the western apse are the founders of the church, from right to left: Dawit the Builder, Bagrat IV, Sumbat - the son of Ashot, the next figure is the son of Sumbat, then comes King Giorgi II and the last figure is the Queen of East Georgia Izdukht. Other figures in the western apse are four prophets from the Old Testament: Daniel, Hambakoum, Ezekiel and Joel. Another three figures are the saints taken alive to the Kingdom of Heaven: The Prophet Elijah, the Apostle John and Enoch. Interior inscriptions of Ateni Sioni The writings of Ateni Sioni are of great importance. There are over a thousand different inscriptions on the interior walls, mainly in Georgian, but also in Armenian, Greek, Arabic, Persian, Syriac and Hebrew. The oldest inscription dates from 711 and is on the north side, under the apse. It records the coronation of Stepanoz as Grand Prince. Very interesting are the ecclesiastical poems from the 10th century on the southern side, as well as the writing in gold colour with the exact date: August 5th in the year 853. The inscription tells of the invasion of Bugha al-Kabir, also known as Bugha al-Turki, a general of Turkish origin who served the Abbasid caliphate. Location of Ateni Sioni Atenis Sioni is located 12 kilometres from Gori, in the Ateni Valley, in region Shida Kartli, on the left bank of the Tana River, above the village of Ateni. |
