The Tsaishi Cathedral () is the
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
church of the dioceses of
Zugdidi
Zugdidi ( ka, ზუგდიდი; xmf, ზუგდიდი or ზუგიდი) is a city in the western Georgian historical province of Samegrelo (Mingrelia). It is situated in the north-west of that province. The city is located 318 kilom ...
and
Tsaishi, and headquarters of one of the oldest episcopal departments 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 ...
-
Eparchy of Zugdidi and Tsaishi.
History
In the 6th and 7th centuries, the
episcopal chair
A ''cathedra'' is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principal ...
already existed in the territory of the church. In the list of episcopal departments from 602 to 610, the Tzayish
eparchy
Eparchy ( gr, ἐπαρχία, la, eparchía / ''overlordship'') is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity, that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. Eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on th ...
in
Lazika
The LAZIKA ( ka, ლაზიკა) is a proposed Georgian Infantry fighting vehicle, developed by the Scientific Technical Center STC Delta and funded by the Georgian military. One of its main characteristics is the relatively thick armor compa ...
is mentioned.
The oldest Georgian monument, mentioned by the Bishopric of Tsasha, is an inscription on a stone cross from the 10th-11th centuries, where Bishop Ephraim of Tsaishi is mentioned next to the name of King
Bagrat III of Georgia
Bagrat III ( ka, ბაგრატ III) (c. 960 – 7 May 1014), of the Georgian Bagrationi dynasty, was King of Abkhazia from 978 on (as Bagrat II) and King of Georgia from 1008 on. He united these two titles by dynastic inheritance and, thro ...
.
A modern
domed temple was built between the 13th and 14th centuries. It is known that from the 11th century to 1823 the diocese belonged to 20 bishops, among which the most important were Gurieli Malaquías (1612 - 1639) and Grigol Chikovani (1777 - 1823).
Bishop Malachi is known for having completely restored and renovated the Tsaishi church after the devastating earthquake of 1614, while Bishop Grigol is known for having managed to count on the support of Katsii III
Dadiani
The House of Dadiani ( ka, დადიანი ), later known as the House of Dadiani- Chikovani, was a Georgian family of nobles, dukes and princes, and a ruling dynasty of the western Georgian province of Mingrelia.
The House of Dadiani
The ...
and return the lands taken by the feudal lords to church. In addition, he built a wall and a bell tower around the church.
In 1823, the Russian government abolished the bishop of Tsaishi and other bishoprics of Murel. From then until 1879 there was a monastery. The monastery was one of the main places for the dissemination of education since it had a school.
With the arrival of the
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
in Georgia, the monastery was closed and abandoned. In 1989, with the blessing of
Catholics Patriarch of Georgia Elijah II, the monastery was restored. From 1989 until his death, deacon Amiran Shengelia, who was buried near the south gate, was in charge of the temple.
See also
*
Eparchy of Zugdidi and Tsaishi
References
Literature
* გ.კალანდია «ოდიშის საეპისკოპოსოთა ისტორია» (ცაიში, ბედია, მოქვი, ხობი). თბ. 2004 (Г.Каландиа; История Одишского Епископства; (Цаиши, Бедиа, Мокви, Хоби); Тбилиси, 2004)
{{Authority control
Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance of Georgia
Churches in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti