Old churches and cathedrals in Georgia that are worth visiting. Samtavisi Church.
The domed church of Samtavi was built in the eleventh century and it has been preserved very well to this day. Special attention should be paid to the relief decorative elements on one side of the facade. Fragments of seventeenth-century paintings are still preserved inside the cathedral. In the courtyard of the cathedral you will see the ruins of residential premises and buildings of ancient basilicas.
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In 2015, in the town of Grakliani (Kasp municipality) archaeologists have discovered an ancient temple and two altars that were erected before our era. A line of an unknown letter is carved on the pedestal of one of these structures. The inscription is dated to the XIX century BC. Scientists believe that this is the oldest example of the ancient Georgian script.
Episcopal church of the XI century . Samtavisi is located in the historical region of Georgia — in Shida Kartli, in the village Samtavisi Kaspsky district, on the left bank of the Lehura River. The cathedral seems to be directed upwards by its dynamic forms and proudly looks over the fence at the surrounding space.
From the point of view of the original solution of architectural and artistic tasks, Samtavisi is a new stage in the history of Georgian art: The cathedral is a model in which the builders managed to achieve an almost perfect unity of form and content. Therefore, throughout the subsequent period, the architectural type of this cathedral was invariably used in the construction of Georgian domed churches.
The Samtavis domed church was erected in 1030 on the initiative of Bishop Illarion Samtavneli of Samtavis. The plan of the cathedral, in comparison with other buildings of that time, is significantly shortened and has a square shape.
It should be noted the relief decorative elements on the eastern side of the facade, which were subsequently widely used in Georgian cult architecture. The composition consists of a large ornate cross, a carved platband of the altar window and two ornamentated lozenges. All decorative elements of the facade are united by decorative arches. The carving of relief compositions is executed flawlessly.
Special attention should be paid to the relief image of the griffin under the northern arch of the eastern facade. Fragments of wall paintings of the XVII century have been preserved inside the cathedral. The bell tower, built into the fence of the cathedral, belongs to the late feudal period. The ruins of a residential building and various structures, including the oldest basilica, have been preserved in the courtyard. Now a convent is functioning in the cathedral.
Religious temples and monasteries in Georgia have a special meaning. After all, it was here that the baptism of European states began. The oldest buildings have an incredible energy of those times, and therefore are revered not only by local residents, but also by guests of the country.
Read more about Georgia, its customs and sights in the Madloba catalog. Here you will find useful instructions for tourists, ratings and reviews of hotels and restaurants, as well as detailed descriptions of the most interesting places in the regions.
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Храм Самтависи в Шида Картли, на берегу реки Лехура, устремлён вверх своими динамичными формам и гордо взирает на окрестности. Это новый этап в истории грузинского искусства, единство формы и содержания.
Возведена в 1030 году по инициативе Самтависского епископа Иллариона Самтавнели.
Во дворе сохранились руины жилого помещения, в том числе и древнейшей базилики. Ныне функционирует как женский монастырь.