The Tbilisi Sioni - Patriarchal Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos is the focus of the sights of Georgia gathered together.
Tbilisi Sioni is one of the oldest temples in Georgia - it is more than 1500 years old. The name has a direct connection with Mount Zion in Jerusalem and translates as "sunny". The Patriarchal Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located on the bank of the Kura River.
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To see the most beautiful places in Georgia, you definitely need to visit Tbilisi. There is the second most important temple - the Cathedral of Sioni. Its name is directly related to the mount Sioni in Jerusalem. Translated from Hebrew means “sunny". This name is in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.
According to legend, Mary died at home, on Mount Zion, where the world's first church of the Assumption was built. The Zion Temple is located on the coast of the Kura River in the center of the Old City. Zion Cathedral is a complex that consists of a temple, two bell towers and a fence around the cathedral. The cross-domed building is decorated with relief images in the form of a cross.
The walls of the cathedral are covered with tuff, but the foundation remains intact. The temple is decorated with frescoes, which was created by the Russian artist G. G. Gagarin. Bell towers of different times: one was erected in the XV century, the second is a sample of Russian classicism, appeared next to the church in 1812. The main relic of Georgia, the cross of Saint Nino, is kept in the Tbilisi Sioni.
It is made of a grape stalk, tied with Nino's hair, framed with a stone. This relic was returned to the temple by the Russian Emperor Alexander I in 1801. There is also a stone that was brought from Jerusalem by Saint David Garejeli. He is miraculous and gracious. Zion is filled with famous icons of Georgian churches: the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, the Icon of the Savior not made with hands, St. Nino, St. George the Victorious, “Glory of the Church of Georgia”, etc. In this cathedral, the wedding ceremony was performed by A. Griboyedov and N. Chavchavadze.
However, this one had a tragic fate. After the wedding, Griboyedov was called to serve in Persia, where he soon died. After learning about this, Nino lost her child. All her life she wore mourning and was faithful to her deceased husband. There is a tomb in Sioni Cathedral where the kings who built the cathedral - Guram and Adarnase - are buried.
Bishops were buried near the cathedral. Inside the temple near the apse with the altar there are black slabs - these are the graves of the patriarchs. Members of the Orbeliani princely family are buried along the southern wall. Also, strangely, the graves of Generals Lazarev and Tsitsianov are located in the cathedral.
History
The sights of Georgia are filled with history. The history of the Tbilisi Patriarchal Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been going on for 15 centuries. It is said that the cathedral was built by the decree of Vakhtang I Gorgasal, the founder of the city of Tbilisi. But it is most likely that Guram I founded the temple in the VI century, and the construction was completed during the reign of King Adarnassus in the next century. During the Tbilisi Emirate, the church was demolished by the Arabs.
After the liberation of the city from the Arab caliphate in 1112, the cathedral was erected on the same site by David IV the Builder. The temple suffered a lot of destruction, and was restored again. He suffered the most from the attack of the troops of Jalal al-Din Mankburn, and the earthquake that occurred in 1668. In 1726, the cathedral could have been turned into an Islamic mosque, since the city was occupied by the Ottoman Turks, but Prince Givi Amilakhvari was able to influence the decision, and this did not happen.
In the autumn of 1795, the temple was destroyed during the invasion of the Iranian army under the command of Agha Muhammad Khan. The enemies burned the upper gallery of the temple and the iconostasis, the painting was spoiled by soot. The church was restored in 1817. Minaj de' Medici, describing the cathedral, said that it was majestic, and inside it was filled with frescoes from the Bible. The Sioni Cathedral was restored to its original state in 1980-1983.
A new iconostasis was made according to ancient national images. During the Soviet era, all the churches of the capital of Georgia were deprived of their property, including the bells of the Patriarchal Cathedral. The last time we heard the ringing of these bells was in 1801 on the day of Ninoob.
In 2003, an extension appeared at the temple building, which became the threshold to the entrance to the building. If you don't know what to see in Tbilisi, visit the Old Town. In addition to the Sioni Cathedral, there are the Historical Museum of Georgia, mineral baths and many of the most beautiful monuments of the city.
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