Gelati

The monastery complex of Gelati, situated in the wooded mountains of the Chalcitela river valley, was built on the orders of Kind David Aghmashenebeli (the Builder) from 1106 onwards, although it was only completed by his son Demetrius. Its Academy promoted science and the arts following Constantinople’s model, and thus testifies to the importance of monastic centers in Georgian cultural life. Illuminated manuscripts and goldsmiths’ work have been produced here. The monastery of Gelati has also been praised as a second Jerusalem and “another Athens”. The grouping of buildings is extraordinarily well preserved, consisting of the Church of the Nativity, the Katholikon, a large domed cruciform building with façades modeled by arcades surrounding the bays, and two smaller churches: the church of St. George and the church of St. Nicholas. While the former repeats the plan of the Katholicon, the latter is a two storey structure based on a porticus. The Katholikon’s interior is completely frescoed, although for the most part the original murals have vanished. Paintings from the 12th century can be seen in the narthex, representing the cycle of Ecumenical Councils. The apse of the church, however, is adorned with an exceptionally large mosaic representing a standing Virgin with child, the Kyriotissa, flanked by the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. Medieval Georgian Mosaics are very rare; a few others have survived but only in fragments. The mosaic, dating back to 1125-1130, further highlights the monastery’s special relationship to Byzantium. The inscriptions are Greek and several stylistic features are close to the art of the Comnenes. The frescoes, preserved till the present day, for the most part date back to the 16th and 17th centuries.