The Kala church of Saints Cyricus and Julitta ( ka, კალას წმინდა კვირიკესა და ივლიტას სახელობის ეკლესია, tr), locally known as Lagurka (ლაგურკა), is a medieval church in the
Mestia Municipality
Mestia ( ka, მესტიის მუნიციპალიტეტი, ''Mesṫiis municiṗaliṫeṫi'') is a district of Georgia, in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti. Its main town is Mestia.
It has an area of 3,045 km2 and h ...
in
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 ...
's
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 ...
of
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, ...
. The area is part of the highland historical and cultural region of
Upper Svaneti
Svaneti or Svanetia (Suania in ancient sources; ka, სვანეთი ) is a historic province in the northwestern part of Georgia. It is inhabited by the Svans, an ethnic subgroup of Georgians.
Geography
Situated on the southern slop ...
where Lagurka is regarded as the principal Christian shrine, its designation deriving from the name of Cyricus in the local
Svan language
Svan ( ''lušnu nin''; ka, სვანური ენა, tr) is a Kartvelian language spoken in the western Georgian region of Svaneti primarily by the Svan people. With its speakers variously estimated to be between 30,000 and 80,000, the U ...
. It is a
hall church
A hall church is a church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height, often united under a single immense roof. The term was invented in the mid-19th century by Wilhelm Lübke, a pioneering German art historian. In contrast to an archi ...
, adorned with frescoes painted by Tevdore in 1111/1112, one of the high points of medieval Georgian monumental art. The church is inscribed on the list of the
Cyricus and Julitta
Cyricus ( el, Κήρυκος, am, ቂርቆስ, arc, ܡܪܝ ܩܘܪܝܩܘܣ ܣܗܕܐ ''Mar Quriaqos Sahada''; also Cyriacus, Quiriac, Quiricus, Cyr), and his mother, Julitta ( el, Ἰουλίττα, am, እየሉጣ arc, ܝܘܠܝܛܐ, ''Yul ...
, who are venerated as the patron saints of the Kala community. Lagurka itself is considered to be the holiest shrine by the Svans, their most binding oath being on the icons preserved at the church. The church hosts an annual all-Svan festival and pilgrimage, ''kvirikoba'' ("the day of Cyricus"), held annually on July 28. In the words of the historian
Ekvtime Taqaishvili
Ekvtime Takaishvili (also spelled Taqaishvili) () (January 5, 1862 – February 21, 1953) was a Georgian historian, archaeologist and public benefactor.
Born in the village of Likhauri in the western Georgian province of Guria to a local nobleman ...
, for the Svans Lagurka is what
Delphi
Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The oracle ...
was for the ancient Greeks—the symbol of their unity.
Layout
The exact date when Lagurka was constructed is not known. Judging by its style, the extant church is dated to sometime between the late 10th or early 12th centuries. Lagurka, measuring 5 x 2.70 m, is built of yellowish
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
blocks. It is a
hall church
A hall church is a church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height, often united under a single immense roof. The term was invented in the mid-19th century by Wilhelm Lübke, a pioneering German art historian. In contrast to an archi ...
, with annexes built at a later date on the south and north. To the west attached is a two-storey
bell-tower
A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...
which also serves as 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 ...
. Originally the church had three entrances, on the south, north, and west. The building can now be accessed only through a doorway cut in the south annex. The building was enveloped by a high toothed stone wall, which now stands in ruins. Other buildings such as
refectory
A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries. The name derives from the La ...
and cells are built down on the mountains slope. In the interior of the church, a semicircular
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 ...
is separated from the nave by a stone tripartite
iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...
. Its
barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...
rests upon a single supporting arch. The longitudinal walls are each sectioned by a pair of arched
pilasters
In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wall ...
. The church is lit with two windows, cut one each in the apse and west wall; daylight through them is directly shed on the extensively frescoed west and east walls.
Frescoes
The church is completely frescoed, with numerous explanatory inscriptions in Georgian. Some of them have faded away. One partially damaged inscription, that on the west wall, dates the paintings to 1111 or 1112. It names the donors—the ''
aznauri ''Aznauri'' ( ka, აზნაური, ; pl. ''aznaurni'', აზნაურნი, or ''aznaurebi'', აზნაურები) was a class of Georgian nobility.
The word derives from Middle Persian ''āznāvar'', which, in turn, corresponds ...
'' of the Kala community—and mentions a painter whose name is reconstructed—through the analogy with the two Svan churches of Iprari and Nakipari—as Tevdore. The paintings in the conch and iconostasis, damaged by an earthquake, were restored at a later date by the certain Giorgi, son of Anton, as revealed in an inscription on the south pilaster. The sanctuary
conch
Conch () is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point at both ends).
In North Am ...
is adorned with the
Deesis
In Byzantine art, and in later Eastern Orthodox art generally, the Deësis or Deisis (, ; el, δέησις, "prayer" or "supplication"), is a traditional iconic representation of Christ in Majesty or Christ Pantocrator: enthroned, carrying a boo ...
, where Christ holds a scroll with a text from John 8:12: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness". There are four more
Christological
In Christianity, Christology (from the Greek grc, Χριστός, Khristós, label=none and grc, -λογία, -logia, label=none), translated literally from Greek as "the study of Christ", is a branch of theology that concerns Jesus. Differ ...
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...
,
Baptism
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
, and the
Resurrection
Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, which ...
on the south and north walls. The iconographic program also includes depictions of several saints such as Barbara,
Catherine
Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria.
In the early Christ ...
,
Stephen
Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...
George
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* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
, and
Theodore
Theodore may refer to:
Places
* Theodore, Alabama, United States
* Theodore, Australian Capital Territory
* Theodore, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Banana, Australia
* Theodore, Saskatchewan, Canada
* Theodore Reservoir, a lake in Sask ...
, and two scenes of the martyrdom of the church's titular saints—Cyricus and Julitta. The paintings are noted for their emotional expressiveness and carefully conceived positioning. The distribution of the frescoes follows the architectural sectioning of the interior and suggests a symbolic relationship between various scenes and images.
Lagurka contains a rich of collection of various church items from different periods of time. These include manuscripts, crosses, icons, and utensils, both locally produced and brought from elsewhere in Georgia or abroad. Highly venerated is the so-called Shaliani icon, a Byzantine repoussé icon of the Crucifixion.