The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is located in Mtskheta, one of the sights of Georgia with World Heritage status.
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is located in Mtskheta. For a long time, a strand of one millennium, it was considered the main cathedral of Georgia. Since 1994, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral has a World Heritage status.
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Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is the main cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church. This cathedral is still a patriarchal place and a place of enthronement. For example, the majestic enthronement of the Chief Patriarch of Georgia took place here. I think it is not necessary to describe its religious importance.
Sights of Georgia how unique are they that every person who has visited this country at least once understands their value. This cathedral is a kind of religious center of Georgia. According to the conclusion of scientists, it was here that burials and farewells to many kings of Georgia took place in the presence of many clergy in the medieval period.
What to see and what will surprise you about the temple?
The temple forms the basis of the cathedral, which consists of four buildings: Oshki, Alaverdi, Bagratsky and the Cathedral. This religious cultural monument is a great attraction not only of Georgian culture, but also of Georgian architecture of the 11th century. This temple complex is located about 20 km from the well-known city of Tbilisi.
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral–the most majestic building in Georgia today. It is this sanctuary that has become a real home of the Christian faith for several generations of people. If we believe the archaeological excavations and scientific conclusions, then we can conclude that the ensemble of these cathedrals also included another temple of faith, which, unfortunately, has not reached us. It was built around the 4th century AD on the initiative of King Mirian. During excavations in about 1970-1971, the foundation and other details were found here, which allowed us to conclude about the cathedral that previously existed here.
Also, according to the found details, scientists even made a plan of the destroyed sanctuary and built a new temple in its place, taking into account all the features of the lost cathedral. Already in the 11th century, a new one was erected on the site of the destroyed cathedral. The initiator of such a large-scale work was Kartli Melchizedek. Under the guidance of the great architect Arsakidze, he began construction. Construction began in 1010 and was completed 19 years later – in 1029.
During its existence, Svetitskhoveli has been rebuilt many times. Also, the earthquake that occurred in 1283 caused great damage to this religious monument. Only in the 14th century, thanks to George the Brilliant, it was possible to restore the temple. But this sophistication and beauty of the temple did not last long. At the end of the same century, Tamerlane caused great damage to the religious monument. He damaged the dome and a few other details, but, fortunately, the temple was not completely destroyed.
Already in the 15th century, the well-known King Alexander the Great decided to reconstruct the sanctuary, radically change it. But fortunately, in 1656, at the initiative of King Rostom, the isthmus of the dome was restored to its original appearance. And in the 1900s, under Countess P. Uvarova, a meeting was held at which all the clergy and the best architects and reconstructors gathered. At this meeting, it was decided to block the hewn stone.
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Architecture features
Svetitskhoveli Temple according to the project, it is a rectangle elongated from the east to the west. The cross itself is made as a kind of space with elongated long arms on four sides. All the elongated parts of the cross are a rectangle, except for the eastern arm, it ends with an altar apse. There are two receptacles on the south side. And the dome itself is held by four mighty pillars. Sixteen windows have an isthmus.
Despite the fact that the history of the temple is very long and complicated, many elements of the cathedral, for example, frescoes, have been lost. But, today, even having lost some details of fine art, the temple does not cease to amaze us. Its scale, grandeur and historical past fascinate everyone who has ever visited it. The most beautiful and magnificent photos are taken around this cultural monument. Majesty and eternity – these are the words that refer to this cathedral.
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