Anchiskhati ( Georgian: ანჩისხატი ) is a 6th-century church dedicated to the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin . The oldest surviving church in Tbilisi .
| Orthodox church | |
| Anchiskhati | |
|---|---|
| cargo. ანჩისხატი | |
| A country |  Georgia |
| Location | Tbilisi , Shavteli street |
| Denomination | Georgian Orthodox Church |
| Diocese | Mtskheta and Tbilisi |
| Established | |
History
According to Georgian chronicles , the church was built by the king of Iberia, Dachi Ujarmeli (c. 522-534), who made Tbilisi his capital. Originally dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary , the church received a second name - Anchiskhati in 1675, in honor of the ancient Encaustic icon of the Savior ( Anchia icon ) transferred from Anchia Cathedral ( Tao-Klarjeti ). Thus, they tried to save the icon during the Ottoman invasion, for which the goldsmith Beka Opizari made a salary in silver with gold accents in the 12th century. The icon has been kept in the church of St. Mary for many centuries, now it is in the Golden Fund of the State Museum of Art of Georgia .
The church was destroyed and restored several times from the 15th to the 17th centuries during the wars of Georgia with the Persians and Turks .
The brick bell tower next to Anchiskhati was built by Catholicos Domeni in 1675. The layout of the church was greatly changed in the 1870s when a vault was added.
In Soviet times, the church had to be protected from the threat of destruction ( David Arsenishvili acted as an active defender), the preserved building was occupied by the museum of handicrafts, then an art workshop was located in it. From 1958 to 1964, restoration work was carried out (under the direction of the architect R. Gverdtsiteli), which returned the construction to the appearance of the XVII century. In 1989, the church became operational again. The Anchiskhati Temple Choir is known for its vivid performance of the oldest Georgian church chants.
Architecture
Anchiskhati is a three-nave basilica with apses in the shape of a horseshoe, which indicates the antiquity of the structure. Initially, it was built from blocks of yellow tufa , during the restoration of 1958-1964 a brick was used. The building has exits on three sides, but nowadays only the western exit is used.
Inside the church lies the Catholicos Evdemoz I Diasamidze , who headed the Georgian Orthodox Church in 1630–1638. All icons date from the 19th century, except for the altarpiece, created by order of Catholicos Nicholas VI (Amilahvari) in 1683.
Notes
Literature
- Abashidze I. Red. Georgian Encyclopedia. Vol. IX. Tbilisi, Georgia, 1985.
- Amiranashvili Sh. History of Georgian art. Khelovneba, Tbilisi, Georgia, 1961.
- Rosen, Roger. Georgia: A Sovereign Country of the Caucasus. Odyssey Publications: Hong Kong, 1999. ISBN 962-217-748-4