Martvili Monastery ( ka, მარტვილის მონასტერი) is a
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
monastic complex located in the village of
Martvili
Martvili ( ka, მარტვილი) is a small town in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti province of Western Georgia. Its monastery was Samegrelo's clerical centre in the Middle Ages. Under Soviet rule, from 1936 to 1990, it was named Gegechkori after ...
in the
Martvili District
Martvili ( ka, მარტვილის მუნიციპალიტეტი) is a district of Georgia, in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti. Its main town is Martvili. Martvili Municipality is located in the north-eastern part of wes ...
of the
Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti
Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti ( Georgian: სამეგრელო-ზემო სვანეთი) is a region (Mkhare) in western Georgia with a population of 308,358 (2021) and a surface of . The region has Zugdidi as its administrative center, ...
Province (
Mkhare
A ''mkhare'' ( ka, მხარე, ''mxare'') is a type of administrative division in the country of Georgia (country), Georgia. It is usually translated as "region".
According to presidential decrees in 1994 and 1996, Georgia's division into ...
) of
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. It sits upon the highest hill in the vicinity and was of strategic importance.
History
The site upon the hill where the monastery stands today was used in ancient times as a pagan cultural center and was a sacred site. There once stood an ancient and enormous oak tree that was worshipped as an idol of fertility and prosperity. Infants were once sacrificed here as well. After the conversion of the native population to Christianity, the ancient tree was cut down so as not to worship it anymore. A church was originally constructed in the late 7th century upon the roots of the old oak tree and was named in honor of Saint Andrew who preached Christianity and converted the pagans across the
Samegrelo
Mingrelia ( ka, სამეგრელო, tr; xmf, სამარგალო, samargalo; ab, Агырны, Agirni) is a historic province in the western part of Georgia, formerly known as Odishi. It is primarily inhabited by the Mingrelians ...
region.
The main Martvili-Chkondidi Cathedral (
Mingrelian Mingrelian may refer to:
*the Mingrelians
*the Mingrelian language
Mingrelian or Megrelian (, ) is a Kartvelian language spoken in Western Georgia (regions of Mingrelia and Abkhazia), primarily by the Mingrelians. The language was also called kol ...
: ''Chkoni'' translates to "oak") was reconstructed in the 10th century after invasions that destroyed the prior church.
Preserved in the church are frescoes of the 14th to 17th centuries.
Gallery
Image: Ground-Plan of the Church of Martvili. John M. Neale. A history of the Holy Eastern Church. P.296.jpg, Martvili-Chkondidi Cathedral floorplan
Image: Martvili monastery1.jpg, Martvili-Chkondidi Cathedral
Image: Martvili Monastery (2).jpg, Cathedral drum and dome
Image: Martvili Monastery (1).jpg
Image: Martvili monastery Mingreli region, Georgia.jpg, Martvili monastery, September 2018
Image: Martvili, patriarchate at Martvili monastery, Mingreli region, Georgia.jpg, Martvili, seat of bishop, Chkhondidi eparchy at Martvili monastery
See also
*
Ioane Mesvete
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
Martvili Monastery
{{Georgian Churches
Georgian Orthodox monasteries