The Kazreti monastery () is a Georgian monastic complex located in the
Kvemo Kartli
Kvemo Kartli ( ka, ქვემო ქართლი, az, Aşağı Kartli) or "Lower Kartli", is a historic province and current administrative region (mkhare) in southeastern Georgia. The city of Rustavi is the regional capital.
Location
Kvem ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
,
Bolnisi district, near the city of
Kazreti
Kazreti ( ka, კაზრეთი) is a daba in Bolnisi Municipality, in the region of Kvemo Kartli, in Georgia. Its primary economic activity is mining. The largest employer in Kazreti is JSC RMG Copper. Gold and copper are the principal preci ...
,
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 ...
. Monastery also known as Kazreti Trinity monastery was built by King
George IV
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...
known as Lasha Giorgi in the 13th century.
History
In 1956, the Kazreti complex was cleaned and restored by the Ministry of Protection of Cultural Monuments and Restoration of the Ministry of Culture of Georgia, previously, the church was covered with a depth of one meter. Currently, the Trinity Church of Kazreti is restored and painted inside and is under the supervision of the Diocese of Bolnisi, still active for worship. In 2006, the church received a category of Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance of Georgia.
Description
The Trinity church of Kazreti has an elongated rectangle-shaped floor plan that has been built from the northeast to the southwest. The facades show a luxurious decoration that creates a wooden frame, carving, a cross, etc. The church ends in the eastern half with a deep
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 ...
. There are two entrances in the north and west with portals. The main entrance is that of the north.
The second feature of the architectural plan was resolved again in the eastern part, in the adjacent wall, instead of two side posts, there is only one on the north side. In the south there is a
false vault in the wall of the apse. The interior of the building did not arrive in its original form. The western wall is fortified with additional walls. The cathedral was painted in
fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
, the remains of the Church Fathers and the figures of the Apostles on the altar are still appreciated. There is also a cycle with individual saints.
Literature
• Vakhtang Dolidze, two architectural monuments of Kazreti Gorge, "Friend of the Monument, No. 20, pp. 4–18, 1970.
References
{{Authority control
Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance of Georgia
Georgian Orthodox monasteries
Tourist attractions in Kvemo Kartli