The church of Tsromi ( ka, წრომის ტაძარი)is an early medieval church in village Tsromi, in the vicinity of town

Khashuri Khashuri ( ka, ხაშური ) is a town in the central part of Georgia and is the 9th largest settlement in Georgia. It is the administrative centre of Khashuri Municipality. It is located on the Shida Kartli plain, on the Suramula riversi ...

, in Shida Kartli region of Georgia. It is situated at the center of the village, along the right side of the river Mtkvari (

Kura Rúben de Almeida Barbeiro (born August 21, 1987 in Leiria), better known as KURA, is a Portuguese electro house music DJ and producer. Kura has released tracks through labels such as Hardwell's Revealed Recordings, Flashover Recordings, M ...

History

According to the southern façade, the temple construction dates to the years 626–634, when it was built during the reign of

Stephen II of Iberia Stephen II ( ka, სტეფანოზ II, ''Step'anoz II''), of the Chosroid dynasty, was a Principate of Iberia, presiding prince of Caucasian Iberia, Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia (country), Georgia) from 637/642 to c. 650. The son and suc ...

. The monument was strongly affected and got even worse during the earthquake in 1940. Now the temple is fortified.

Architecture

The domed temple represents a monument of Georgian architecture, distinguished by its complex composition. Its artistic importance is comparable with

Jvari Monastery :''The name of this monastery translated as the "Monastery of the Cross". For the Georgian monastery in Jerusalem with the same name, see Monastery of the Cross.'' Jvari Monastery () is a sixth-century Georgian Orthodox monastery near Mtskheta, ea ...

Mtskheta Mtskheta ( ka, მცხეთა, tr ) is a city in Mtskheta-Mtianeti province of Georgia. It is one of the oldest cities in Georgia as well as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the World. Itis located approximately north of T ...

saIt is the basis of the further development of Georgian church architecture of the Middle Ages. The temple is a ″drawn-inside cross″ type; the basis of its plan is an equiangular cross. It is the first Georgian churct where the dome rests on four free pillars. It also gave freedom to walls and opened new perspectives in the

Georgian architecture Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Georg ...

.Zakaraya, P. (1983) Pamyatniki Vostochnoi Gruzii. Iskusstvo, Moskva, 376 p. akaraya, P. Monuments of the Eastern GeorgiaIn Russian) The exterior is modestly decorated. The eastern facade is cut with two deep triangular niches. Such niches by the side of the

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

appeared for the first time in Tsromi to later become characteristic Georgian temple decoration. The interior is illuminated through high windows in the dome and each cross arm. The temple decoration is scant. The conch of the temple altar was decorated with contemporaneous mosaic, depicting

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

and two

apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

, the reserved fragments of which are kept in the Museum of Art of Georgia since 1930s. The prothesis and the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

are in eastern part, on the altar sides. Each of them has cross-shaped and octangular vaults. The stairs in the northern corner lead to the choir above the

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...

, meant for nobility, women and singers.

Literature

* Georgian soviet encyclopedia, volume XI, Tbilisi, 1974 * description of Georgian historical and cultural monuments, volume 5. pages:457-460; Tbilisi; 1990. * Bedidze V, Old Georgian architecture, Tbilisi, 1974 * G. Chubinashvili, History of Georgian Arts, volume 1. Tbilisi, 1936. * Ir. Tsitsishvili, History of Georgian architecture, Tbilisi, 1955.

References

{{Reflist Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance of Georgia Buildings and structures in Shida Kartli