Gudarekhi ( ka, გუდარეხი) is a village in

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 K ...

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 ...

, notable for a nearby monastic complex and archaeological site. It is located on a hill some 8 km north from the town

Tetritsqaro Tetritskaro or Tetritsqaro ( ka, თეთრიწყარო, tr; , az, Ağbulaq) is a town in Kvemo Kartli in southern Georgia. It is the municipal center of Tetritsqaro Municipality. According to 2014 Georgian Census its population is 3,093. ...

, southwest of Georgia’s capital

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...

. A large-scale archaeological research of the area was carried out in 1938 and 1939. It revealed the remnants of a medieval urban settlement with well-developed

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

production. The complex consists of a ruined palace, living premises, a

wine cellar A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae, or plastic containers. In an ''active'' wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control system ...

, a pilastered building, and several other structures which date from the 12th-13th and 16th-17th centuries. To the south of the ruined settlement lies the Gudarekhi monastery consisting of a single nave church and a free-standing two-storey bell-tower. The church was commissioned from the architect Chichaporisdze in the 13th century. It is built of well hewn stones, with richly incrustated and decorated façades. The church formerly possessed an avidly decorated iconostasis which is now on display at the Art Museum of Georgia in Tbilisi. The bell-tower was erected during the reign of Demetre II of Georgia in 1278. The complex was repaired in 2006.

References

National Programme for Rehabilitation of Monuments of Georgia's Cultural Heritage: Gudarekhi.
Ministry of Culture of Georgia, 2006. *Gaprindashvili, Ghivi (1975), Ancient monuments of Georgia. Vardzia: History, architecture, wall painting, applied arts, p. 16. Aurora Art. {{coord, 41, 35, N, 44, 27, E, display=title, region:GE_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Populated places in Tetritsqaro Municipality Georgian Orthodox monasteries Archaeological sites in Georgia (country) Buildings and structures completed in the 13th century Buildings and structures in Kvemo Kartli

See also

References