Khandzta ( ka, ხანძთა, ) was a medieval Georgian monastery founded by

Gregory of Khandzta Gregory of Khandzta ( Georgian: გრიგოლ ხანძთელი, ''Grigol Khandzteli''; 759 – 5 October 861) was a Georgian ecclesiastic figure and a founder and leader of numerous monastic communities in Tao-Klarjeti, a historic ...

in 782 AD. It has been identified as probably being the ruined monastery known as Porta, in Pırnallı village,

Artvin province Artvin Province ( tr, ; ka, , ''Artvinis p’rovincia''; Laz: ართვინიშ დობადონა ''Artviniş dobadona'') is a province in Turkey, on the Black Sea coast in the northeastern corner of the country, on the border w ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

History

In 780 the future St Gregory of Khandzta moved to

Tao-Klarjeti Tao-Klarjeti may refer to: * Tao-Klarjeti, part of Georgian historical region of Upper Kartli * Kingdom of Tao-Klarjeti, AD 888 to 1008 {{set index article Kingdom of Iberia Historical regions of Georgia (country) ...

to revive Georgian monasticism in the region. He initially resided at the monastery of Opiza but then founded his own monastery at Khandzta in c782, and soon it became the center of monastic life in Tao-Klarjeti under his direction. Its influence lasted after his death in 861. In the 10th century, a local monk, Giorgi Merchule, wrote a ''Life'' of Gregory, celebrated as a masterpiece of Georgian medieval hagiography.

Construction

The first church at Khandzta was built of wood by Gregory and his companions. A dining hall and living cells were also built at that time (end of the 8th century). In 820, during the reign of Ashot I, a stone church was built to replace it by the nobleman Gabriel Dapanchuli. The present church building seems to be a replacement again, dating from 918 . The remoteness of the site made the construction difficult, as most material, notably the high-quality

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

, was not available locally and had to be hauled for long distances. The building was completed in 941. A freestanding bell-tower was added in the 16th century. There is also a medieval chapel whose east wall acts as a fountain. From that time, the integration of the region into the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

and the progressive

Islamisation Islamization, Islamicization, or Islamification ( ar, أسلمة, translit=aslamāh), refers to the process through which a society shifts towards the religion of Islam and becomes largely Muslim. Societal Islamization has historically occurre ...

of the population led to the decline of the monastery, and its eventual abandonment.

The main church

The main church in the complex was built on the eastern part of an artificial terrace. Despite significant damage, its main structure has survived until now. An important part of the facade has been destroyed. Most of the

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, fro ...

of the church collapsed in 2007.Georgian Cathalikos Patriarch Urges to Reconstruct Churches in Turkey and to Hold Public Worship in Georgian Language
Trend News Agency. 17 December 2007.

References

Sources

* Khoshtaria D., ''კლარჯეთის ეკლესიები და მონასტრები'', თბილისი, 2005, 2009, * Djobadze, Vakhtang, "A Brief Survey of the Monastery of St George in Hanzta", ''Oriens Christianus'', B. 78, 1994 * Djobadze, Vakhtang, ''Early Medieval Georgian Monasteries in Historic Tao, Klardjeti and Savseti'', Stuttgart, 1992 * Djobadze, Vakhtang, ხანძთის წმ. გიორგის მონასტერი (მოკლე მიმოხილვა), არტანუჯი, 4, 1995 *

Nicholas Marr Nikolai Yakovlevich Marr (, ''Nikolay Yakovlevich Marr''; , ''Nikoloz Iak'obis dze Mari''; — 20 December 1934) was a Georgian-born historian and linguist who gained a reputation as a scholar of the Caucasus during the 1910s before embarking ...

, Дневник поездки в Шавшию и Кларджию. წიგნში: Георгий Мерчул, Житие св. Григория Хандзтийского. Грузинский текст. Введение, издание, перевод Н. Марра, Тексты и разыскания по армяно-грузинской филологии, кн. VII, С.-Петербург, 1911 * Berdzenishvili D., Menabde L., GSE, volume 11, p. 434, Tbilisi, 1987 * * ''А. Павлинов'', Экспедиция на Кавказ 1888 года, Материалы по Археологии Кавказа, вып. III, Москва, 1893 {{Georgian churches Georgian churches in Turkey Christian monasteries established in the 10th century Buildings and structures in Artvin Province