Calculations
Holy Sidonia and the Robe of the Lord. History of architecture Svetitskhoveli Cathedral

Holy Sidonia and the Robe of the Lord. History of architecture Svetitskhoveli Cathedral

But the main architectural structure in the city is Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, which was erected here in the 11th century (1010 - 1029) on the site of an older temple of the 4th-5th centuries. Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is the second largest temple in the country, after the recently consecrated Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi.

Such a huge temple was built in honor of the Twelve Apostles. There is one legend associated with this construction. The main architect of the temple was Arsukidze, who came from a poor family. Upon completion of construction, it turned out that the masterpiece he had built was significantly superior to the creations of his teacher. Then the offended teacher slandered the student, and the master’s hand was cut off. According to another version, Arsukidze’s hand was cut off by order of the king so that he could never build anything like Svetitskhoveli. The legend is confirmed by the fact that above one of the arches of the cathedral façade there is a relief depicting a hand holding a square. The inscription under the relief reads: “The hand of God's servant Arsukidze. Remember."

Svetitskhoveli was built from 1010 to 1029, and thus it is almost a contemporary of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod. It was customary to build monumentally back then - Svetitskhoveli is quite large. Throughout its long history, Svetitskhoveli has been destroyed, rebuilt and restored more than once. But in general, Sveitskhoveli still retained its original appearance.

During the restoration of Svetitskhoveli in 1970-71, under the leadership of Tsintsadze, the foundation of the basilica, built at the end of the 5th century by King Vakhtang Gorgasali, was found. Stone bull heads are the remains of that very basilica.

Dress code that is not particularly enforced. Yes, and tourists use cameras without restrictions.

Temple name Svetitskhoveli traditionally translated as "life-giving pillar." Sveti is a pillar, and Tskhoveli is living or miraculous. The verb “tskhoveleba”, which is close in meaning, means revive or give life.
According to legend, in the 1st century, local rabbi Elioz, who witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, bought part of the Robe of the Lord from the soldiers and brought it to Georgia to his sister Sidonia. But as soon as Sidonia pressed Heaton to her chest, she immediately fell dead. They could not take the sacred cloth from her hands, so they buried it along with Sidonia in the royal garden. A wonderful Lebanese cedar soon grew on the grave, which the locals worshiped as a deity and considered healing. And when the king of Georgia Mirian III decided to build a temple on the spot where the Robe of the Lord rested, the cedar was cut down. Seven columns were cut out of the sacred cedar for the wooden temple. However, it was not possible to uproot the stump, and fragrant myrrh flowed from its trunk. According to legend, this pillar worked miracles in healing people.
The legend comes in several variations, but does not change the essence much.
One of the largest religious holidays in Georgia - Mtskhetoba-Svetitskhovoloba - is dedicated to this Life-Giving Pillar and the Robe of the Lord. Celebrated twice a year (July 13 and October 14.

Disputes about the location of the Heaton of the Savior have raged for centuries. The version of events widespread in Georgia is as follows: the particles of the Robe of the Lord located in Russia have nothing to do with the whole-woven Chiton - this is another part of the Savior’s clothing. It would be impossible to divide the Chiton, for it would unravel into separate threads. The Chiton itself is located under the Svetitskhoveli Temple.

Cathedral interior. On the right is the same legendary tower over the tomb of Saint Sidonia, the Chiton of the Lord and the Life-Giving Pillar. The fresco “Savior Almighty” was painted by a Russian artist in the 19th century.

Modern icon of St. Mary of Egypt

On the right is the icon of the prophet Elijah. Behind the iconostasis in this place his mantle (cloak) is kept.

Georgian churches, according to the Orthodox tradition, are dark, but Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is an exception. Light fills the cathedral through narrow side windows, and additional light illuminates the central nave through the central dome.

Tombstones are embedded in the floor, mostly of the Bagration-Mukhransky princes. Catholicos Melchizedek, King Heraclius II, King Vakhtang Gorgasal and George XII were also buried in the temple. After the death of Queen Tamara, her body was in Svetitskhoveli for some time, then was buried in Gelati. According to the chronicles, many more kings were buried here, but their burials have not survived.

Coat of arms of the princes Bagration-Mukhrani

Iconostasis of the central limit of the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral

Fragment of the central iconostasis

The interior walls are painted with frescoes, mostly made in the 16th-17th centuries. Most of which, unfortunately, have not been preserved in their original condition. Many icons have also been replaced, and the originals are kept in the national museums of Georgia. The bas-reliefs are decorated with bunches of grapes, which is a feature of many Georgian temples.

Fresco "The Last Judgment"

Frescoes in the cathedral. Below: Saints Equal to the Apostles Constantine and Helen. Previous: Spas Good Silence.

Under the large arch is the legendary “Life-Giving Pillar”. A stone canopy was built over the Pillar, that is, like four stone walls, which were painted with late frescoes. The frescoes illustrate the history of Heaton and the Pillar itself. At the base of the north side there is a niche with doors, where there was a place for taking the world that flowed from the Pillar. The flow of myrrh stopped after the invasion of Shah Abbas I.

Tower over the tomb of Sidonia and the Robe of the Lord

The pillar frescoes deserve a separate discussion. There is some excitement around these murals due to the fact that they depict something that resembles a flying saucer. Pay attention to the “jellyfish” (or flying saucers, depending on your opinion) on the right fresco. It's hard to see in the photo, but inside these "jellyfish" there are faces, most likely they are moons with a face and symbolic light. Who knows though..

In addition to the fact that the temple, unlike other Georgian temples, has a lot of light, it also differs in layout. Among all the cathedrals, it is the only one that is not cross-shaped, but rectangular in plan. Apparently, this is explained by the fact that it was built directly on the foundations of the old basilica of the 5th century. Which suggests that that basilica was huge.
Even some of the arches remained from the previous basilica. They were greatly reduced, the width of the span was doubled, but the old arches are still clearly visible. We can say that the temple was remodeled very carelessly and roughly. This distinguishes Svetitskhoveli from other cathedrals, which were built almost from scratch.

Another interesting fact about the architecture of the complex is its structure according to astrological knowledge, which is believed to have a secret meaning. The structures form a cross shape, where the axial line deviates from the longitudinal line by 22 degrees. It is at this angle that the Egyptian pyramids are rotated relative to the cardinal directions, and the earth’s axis has the same angle of inclination. And the location of the towers and buildings surrounding the cathedral, according to modern scientists, reflect the structure of the solar system.

Temple dome

In the center of the interior there is a carved throne for the patriarch.

There is no heavy silence hanging in the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral; it is light, noisy and there are a lot of tourists.

In the southern part of the cathedral there is a small stone temple, which is a copy of the Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. There may be an illusion that this is something ancient, but in fact it was built at the beginning of the 14th century to mark the fact that Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is the second place in the world where the clothes of Christ lie.

Trinity. Modern icon

The twelve rays on the ornament above the central window symbolize the twelve apostles, the twelve months.

Qvevri for wine in the ground. Wine in Georgia is a ritual drink. Neither holidays, nor meetings, nor farewells are complete without it.

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is surrounded by a fortress wall built of stone and brick during the reign of King Erekle II in 1787. The carved stone in the old part is mixed with river stone in the wall.

Even in the Middle Ages, Mtskheta was the heart of the Georgian church. Tsars were crowned and buried in Svetitskhoveli for a long time. Since then, according to tradition, and today, all the main intra-church rituals are held in the Svetitskhoveli temple.

How to get to Svetskhoveli:
From Tbilisi, minibuses go here from the Didube metro station. The minibus makes a couple of stops near the temple. It is easy to find, it is visible from almost everywhere. In front of the main gate of the fence there is an information center where you can get a free map of the city.

Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia

Orthodox Cathedral
Svetitskhoveli

41°50′31″ n. w. 44°43′16″ E. d. HGIO
A country	Georgia Georgia
Location	Mtskheta
Confession	Orthodoxy (Georgian Orthodox Church)
Diocese	Mtskheta-Tbilisi
Date of foundation	11th century
Construction	- years
Relics and shrines	robe of Jesus Christ
State	Valid
Svetitskhoveli at Wikimedia Commons

Story

Among the surviving historical buildings, Svetitskhoveli is the largest in Georgia. For centuries it has been the center of Christian Georgia. Back in the 4th century, King Mirian III, who converted to Christianity, on the advice of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina, built the first wooden church in Georgia, which has not survived to this day.

One of the foundations of the temple was cedar, which marked the burial place of Christ's robe (“unsewn tunic”). In the second half of the 5th century, the pious king Vakhtang I Gorgasal built a basilica on the site of this church, the upper foundations of which were uncovered by Soviet researchers (led by V. Tsintsadze) in the 1970s. and left for public viewing.

Mention in literature

In the classical literature of Georgia, one of the brightest works is the novel “The Hand of the Great Master” by the classic of literature Konstantin Gamsakhurdia, which tells about the construction of the temple and the formation of Georgia at the same time associated with this event. The epic work describes in detail the process of building the temple, the formation of Christianity in Georgia and the Georgian state.

Sources

Beridze V. Architecture of ancient Georgia. - Tb. , 1974.
Gubinashvili G. Architecture of Georgia of the Middle Ages and its three main cathedrals. - Tb. , 1925.
Gverdtsiteli R. Mtskheta. - Tb. , 1962.

Nowadays Mtskheta is a cozy, carefully restored city, actually a nearby suburb Tbilisi. However, it was once the main city of Georgia with the name Mtskheta (later it changed to the modern one). According to legend, the city at the confluence of the Aragvi and Kura rivers was founded in the middle of the 1st millennium BC by Mtskhetos, a descendant of Noah through his son Japheth, who was also the eldest son of Kartlos, the progenitor of the Kartvels, from whom the name of the entire country came: Georgia in Georgian called “Sakartvelo”, that is, “the place where the Kartvelians live.” By the way, Kartlos’s brother was a certain Hayk, the progenitor of all Armenians.

After the transfer of the capital from Mtskheta to Tbilisi by King Vakhtang Gorgasali, the former was almost deserted, and after the next Arab raid (in 736) Mtskheta practically died as a city. When the Russians came here at the beginning of the 19th century, they saw only a huge granite temple with a dilapidated stone wall - and nothing more. However, in recent decades, the government program adopted in Georgia to revive the ancient capital has led to the fact that the city of Mtskheta has reappeared both as a geographical unit and as one of the main attractions of Georgia.

Nowadays, Mtskheta looks like a neat and even too “touristy” city, whose few carefully restored streets lead to the heart of the ancient capital: the huge Svetitskhoveli Temple (coordinates for GPS navigator: 41°50.537; 44°43.233).

Mtskheta, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral

If from the monastery Jvari(I’ll talk about it below) the spread of Christianity in Georgia began, then the council Svetitskhoveli in Mtskheta was and still remains the center of religious life and the main attraction of Mtskheta. The first wooden church on this site was erected at the insistence of Saint Nino; it has not survived to this day. The following legend is associated with the emergence of the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral: the soldiers who witnessed the crucifixion of Christ cast lots to see who would receive his tunic. And in the ancient city of Mtskheta there lived a deeply religious girl, Sidonia, who asked the local priest, Brother Eloise, to bring her from the Holy Land something that the Savior had touched. Eloise bought the tunic from the soldier and brought it to Sidonia. She took it in her hands and immediately died of joy - after death, her fingers could not open to take the fabric, and she was buried along with the tunic. And then a cedar tree grew over her grave, which began to flow myrrh and heal. Three centuries after these events, Georgia became a Christian country, they began to build the first church, for this they cut down a tree from the grave of Sidonia, made a column (pillar) from it, but it did not fall to the ground, steam And la in the air. And only after the prayers of Saint Nino, the “Life-Giving Pillar” (as the unusual column was called) was lowered and the church was finally founded.

By the way, the name Svetitskhoveli means “Life-Giving Pillar”. Even after being cut down, the tree continued to stream myrrh - but this stopped after the invasion of the Persian Shah Abbas in the 16th century. Now a wonderful cedar log can be seen inside the temple, surrounded by frescoes and icons.

Another story associated with the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral has a clear similarity with the legend about the construction of Moscow's St. Basil's Cathedral. True, if the Russian Tsar ordered the architects Barma and Postnik to gouge out the eyes, then for some reason a certain Arsukidze’s hand was cut off as a result of construction - and now above the arch at the entrance to the cathedral you can see a bas-relief depicting a hand. The history of the construction of the cathedral prompted Konstantin Gamsakhurdia (father of the first president of Georgia, Zviad Gamsakhurdia) to write the novel “The Hand of the Great Master.”

In addition to the cedar and the tunic buried with Sidonia, on the territory of the Svetitskhoveli church there is another Christian shrine: the shroud of the prophet Elijah. In ancient times, there were close ties between Georgians and Jews and the shroud was taken to Georgia as a safe place. Now it is walled up to the right of the altar under the icon of the prophet Elijah. As for the sacred life-giving cedar, in Svetitskhoveli it also became part of the icon: to the left of the entrance you can see the icon of King Mirian and his wife Nana, under whom construction began, at the bottom of the icon is Sidonia resting in the grave.

Sights of Mtskheta - Samtavro Monastery

Ancient monastery Samtavro (coordinates for GPS navigator: N41°50.782; E44°43.119) is famous for the fact that, according to legend, Saint Nino lived in its place under a blackberry bush. At first she lived with the gardener, and then, in order not to embarrass him, she moved into a hut formed by a large blackberry bush (“maklovani”). In a way, this is the Georgian analogue of the biblical burning bush.

The Samtavro temple (which later became a monastery) was built by King Mirian for himself: perhaps the king, a former pagan, considered himself unworthy to pray in the main Christian shrine of Mtskheta, the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. Samtavro contains the burial places of King Mirian and Queen Nana, and it also contains a piece of the Life-Giving Pillar and parts of the relics of two of the thirteen Syrian holy fathers - Abo Nekressky (the founder of Kakheti) and Shio Mgvimsky - who brought Orthodoxy and monasticism to Georgia. There is another burial place in the church that is revered by believers: the grave of monk Gabriel Urgebadze, who died not so long ago, in 1995. During his lifetime, he became known for building a house church in Tbilisi four times - each time the city authorities destroyed it, as well as for his “dessidentism”: at the May Day demonstration, he demonstratively set fire to a portrait of Lenin. In the last years of his life, Gabriel healed the suffering and thus left a good memory of himself among the parishioners.

Mtskheta, Bebriskhitsa fortress

Coordinates for GPS navigator: N 41°51.307; E44°43.323

Unfortunately, there is practically nothing behind the impressive walls of the Bebristsikhe fortress, just a space overgrown with grass. Yes, there are high walls here, but most of them are destroyed. And they were destroyed quite recently: in the spring of 2010 as a result of a strong landslide. It seems that the fortress was going to be restored - but, unfortunately, this has not happened yet.

Mtskheta, Jvari Monastery

“Where, merging, they make noise,
Hugging like two sisters,
Jets of Aragvi and Kura
There was a monastery. From behind the mountain
And now the pedestrian sees
Collapsed gate posts
And the towers, and the church vault..."

This is how Lermontov once described the ancient monastery of Jvari, located on Cross Mountain opposite Mtskheta (“jvari” is translated from Georgian as “cross”).

In terms of its significance for the history and religion of Georgia, the Jvari Monastery should have been placed in first place in the list of attractions of Mtskheta, but since it is located not in the city of Mtskheta itself, but on the mountain above it, it ended up in last place in the story.

According to historians, it was from this place that the Christianization of Georgia began: the future Saint Nino had a vision and she installed the first cross in Georgia on the mountain. Thus, for the first time, Christianity in Georgia rose above paganism: a pagan temple was located below Krestovaya Mountain. The current building of the Jvari monastery is presumably located on the site of that first Nino cross.

The Jvari Monastery is considered a masterpiece of Georgian church architecture, for it was one of the first built with a similar layout: “tetraconch” - a cross in plan with rounded ends; later it became typical for Georgia. Through narrow loophole windows, the light falls directly on the crosses - and, apart from this light and crosses, there is almost nothing inside (and, most likely, there was none): during the Christianization of the country, they were not particularly worried about external attributes like frescoes and paintings.

The temple offers an excellent view of Mtskheta city, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Aragvi River And Kura– here one cannot but agree with Lermontov:

How to get to Jvari Monastery

Minibuses from Tbilisi do not go there, so either walk from Mtskheta or by car (5 km along the main road and then half an hour on foot along the path); you can also take a taxi from and Tbilisi. From the bus station near the Didube metro station, a bus departs every half hour to Kutaisi via Gori - you can try to negotiate with the driver to drop you off on the highway at the foot of Krestovaya Mountain, from there you will have to walk up.

Coordinates of the Jvari Monastery: N41°50.280; E44°44.006

If you don’t have your own car, then the most convenient way to explore Jvari and many other interesting sights located in the vicinity of Tbilisi and on the Georgian Military Road is to book an exclusive tour of the region from Tbilisi. Your guides will be local residents - photographers, journalists, historians - who are in love with their native land and know almost everything about it. A list of all available author's excursions in Tbilisi, its environs and Georgia in general can be found in the table below. By default, the window displays the first 3 excursions, sorted by reviews and popularity. To see all available options, click “See All”.

At the booking stage, you will need to pay 20% of the total cost, the rest is given to the guide before the start of the tour.

Transfer to Mtskheta from the GoTrip online service

Another good way to get to Mtskheta Jvari Monastery is to order a comfortable transfer on the Georgian website GoTrip. The prices there are comparable to those of street taxi drivers, and at the booking stage you have the opportunity to choose a specific driver and car brand, depending on the reviews of previous passengers. Considering the horseman driving style of Georgian street taxi drivers and their not always serviceable cars, this is a very useful option. The price on the website is final, you won’t have to bargain with anyone.

The Svetitskhoveli Orthodox Cathedral, or in official sources the “Temple of the Twelve Apostles,” is located in the center of the Georgian city of Mtskheta. The monumental structure rises proudly against the backdrop of the surrounding mountains. Not far from it stands on a hill.

The most famous and largest architectural monument of the city was erected in the 11th century. This is the second largest and main Orthodox cathedral in the country. Its popular name is translated from Georgian as “miraculous pillar”.

The church in Mtskheta keeps several Orthodox shrines: the robe of Jesus Christ, the clothes of the prophet Elijah, a particle of the relics of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, the font of King Mirian and the burials of noble persons. In 1994, the Georgian temple was recognized as a monument of global significance. Today Svetitskhoveli is the residence of the Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi.

The Christian religious center of the country in the 4th century was just a wooden church. It was built by King Mirian III, who converted to Orthodoxy at that time. Svetitskhoveli became the first Orthodox church in the country. But later the church was destroyed during an attack by enemy troops.

In the 5th century, Vakhtang I built a basilica instead. And in the 11th century, Catholicos of Georgia Melkizedek I built a temple in its place, which we can see today. Some parts of the ancient structure were used in new construction, so the old pillars ended up inside the ones standing now. At the beginning of the 19th century, when the visit of Emperor Nicholas was awaited in Mtskheta, instead of restoration, the temple frescoes were whitewashed so as not to show their dilapidated state. Later, the cathedral was re-painted by Russian artists. It is impressive that God’s temple survived both the earthquake and the difficult years of Soviet power (at that time it was closed).

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral was created in the style of the Middle Ages. The cross-domed four-pillar temple in Mtskheta was built over 19 years under the supervision of the architect Arsakidze, as evidenced by the words on the facade. The height of the building is 54 meters. It is a rectangle oriented from west to east. The church was built directly on the foundation of the ancient basilica.

Today, wooden doors lead into the cathedral, with figures of the 12 apostles and a drawing of angels setting up a Pillar. As you enter the temple, you will see many pillars on both sides. The interior decoration amazes with its splendor; even in the photo you can see many frescoes and icons. The old paintings have survived only from the 16th century. The 17th century frescoes under the dome are interesting. Many icons are just copies, and the originals are in the country's national museums.

Important! If you are going on an excursion to the Cathedral of the 12 Apostles, do not forget about the dress code. For those who forgot to wear appropriate clothing, there is a basket of capes at the entrance.

Behind the church iconostasis you can see the robe of the prophet Elijah. In the right aisle of the cathedral there is kept a particle of the relics of St. Andrew the First-Called, the apostle who preached here in the 1st century. On the left side there is a well where you can drink or take some holy water with you.

From the central entrance to the right is the font in which the great King Mirian was once baptized. It is still used in baptism today. Not far from it, in the southern part of the building, there is a stone chapel from the 14th century, a copy of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. In the center stands a tall dome with frescoes.

Typically, Christian churches in Georgia are dark, and Svetitskhoveli is always filled with light inside, coming through small side windows and the main dome. The unusual astrological structure of the temple is also of interest. The internal structures form the figure of a cross, and the arrangement of the external buildings of the cathedral repeats the structure of the solar system.

Pillar

The accent of the cathedral is the Life-Giving Pillar. It is located under an arch, and a stone canopy is erected above it. Its walls are decorated with medieval frescoes from the 17th century. The drawings tell about the Robe of the Lord and the Pillar. On the north side there is a door leading to the place of myrrh streaming (today the myrrh no longer exists). One of the frescoes is especially interesting: it depicts what looks like alien saucers or jellyfish, with faces visible inside them. Photos of these unusual images are often found when talking about the Mtskheta Miracle-Working Pillar.

Burials

There are tombstones embedded in the floor of the cathedral, indicating that noble and royal persons are buried here. Svetitskhoveli has long been the site of the coronation of royalty of the famous Bagration dynasty and their family crypt. Most of the burials have survived to this day.

Wall

The monastery is protected by a brick and stone wall. In the south there are gates, in the west there is a belfry and gates from the 11th century. In the southeast is the palace of Catholicos Anton II, now it is a museum of History and Ethnography. There is also a functioning monastery here; monastery cells are located on the temple grounds.

Restorations

In 1965, the main restoration of the cathedral was completed and its original appearance was returned. At the same time, during excavations on its territory, the remains of Catholicos Melkizedek were discovered. During the restoration of the 1970s, archaeologists found part of the ancient basilica; today stone heads of bulls from it decorate the central gate.

Church in literature and folk traditions

The temple is mentioned in the work of the famous Georgian writer Konstantin Gamsakhurdia. The novel “The Hand of the Great Master” tells about the construction of the church, the history of Georgia and the spread of Christianity in the country.

Legend about the name of the temple

Rabbi Elioz, who lived in these parts in the 1st century, was present at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. After the execution, he bought a piece of the Lord’s robe (Chiton) from the soldiers and came with it to Georgia. The man gave the shrine to Sister Sidonia. The girl pressed Christ's robe to her chest and fell dead. They could not snatch the fabric from her hands and buried it with Sidonia.

After some time, a cedar tree with healing properties grew on the grave in the garden. Later, when King Mirian III decided to build a church here, the cedar was cut down and 7 pillars were made from it for the temple. The stump in place of the tree began to stream myrrh. People still believe that the Pillar helps drive out diseases, which is why it is nicknamed the life-giving one and they often come here with prayers. One of the most important Christian holidays in the country is dedicated to the miraculous Pillar and the sacred Robe of the Lord in Georgia. It is celebrated 2 times a year: in summer and autumn.

The legend of the architect

The architect of the temple, Arsukidz, was from a poor family. When the construction of the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral was completed, the master’s hand was cut off. They say he was slandered by envious people. Although another version says that the king ordered the architect’s hand to be cut off so that he could not create anything else similar. On the facade of the temple there is still a drawing telling about this event and an inscription calling to remember the master.

How to get to Svetitskhoveli

A minibus runs from Tbilisi to the city of Mtskheta.

Spraka! Public transport leaves from Didube metro station. The distance from the capital to the city of Mtskheta is only 20 km (half an hour). The bus stops near the attraction. The church is easy to find - it is visible from afar.

Once you find yourself in, be sure to visit the main attraction of the ancient capital of the country, the city of Mtskheta. Its famous cathedral really deserves attention; it is shrouded in many legends and traditions, and is the custodian of famous Orthodox shrines. Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta is a sacred and very revered place for Georgians. Every year, pilgrims from all over the world come here to touch the sacred relics and see this great building of ancient architecture. The temple is always noisy, because there are many tourists and organized excursion groups everywhere.

The first capital of Georgia. A place inhabited by people since ancient times. Founded in the second half of the 1st millennium BC. Like any similar place, it is shrouded in myths and legends. I want to tell you about one. It is connected with the Patriarchal Cathedral of Svetitskhoveli. It is the center of attraction, although there are many more historical and architectural monuments in Mtskheta.The photo was taken from the car window while driving, so it’s not very high quality.

And it all began with the crucifixion of Jesus. Legend has it that a resident of Mtskheta, Elioz - according to one version, he was the rabbi of the Mtskheta Jewish community, according to another - he served as a soldier in Jerusalem and was present at the crucifixion of Jesus. This is written about in the Holy Scriptures:“When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His clothes and divided them into four parts, a part for each soldier, and a tunic; The tunic was not sewn, but entirely woven on top. And so they said to each other: “Let us not tear it apart, but let us cast lots for it, whose it will be, so that what is spoken in the Scripture may be fulfilled: They divided My garments among themselves, and cast lots for My clothing” (John 19:23-24; ).
Whether Rabbi Elioz bought these clothes or whether they were given to him by lot, it probably doesn’t matter. When Elioz returned home, he gave the Heaton to his sister Sidonia, who converted to Christianity. According to legend, as soon as Sidonia took the Robe of the Lord in her hands and pressed it to her chest, she immediately gave up the ghost. No matter how they tried to free Heaton from her hands, they could not, so they buried her with him.
A luxurious Lebanese cedar grew on the site of Sidonia’s grave. The suffering came here and miracles happened to them, the sick were healed. The first Christian sovereign of Georgia, Mirian, decided to erect a church over the grave of Sidonia. The cedar was cut down and seven columns were cut out of it. Six columns were installed in the church, and the seventh hung in the air. No matter how they tried to lower it, nothing worked. Then Saint Nino, the enlightener of Georgia, prayed all night and the Pillar fell into place without the touch of a human hand. Look at this scene depicted on the door to the Svetitskhoveli Temple.

This pillar streamed myrrh, and the myrrh healed the sick. This is how the temple got its name Sveti-Tskhoveli Life-Giving Pillar. The first wooden church has not survived. In its place, the pious king Vakhtang 1 Gorgasali built a basilica, the upper foundations of which were discovered during excavations. They were left for everyone to see. Here they are visible, under the glass.

But this basilica has not survived to this day. In the 11th century, at the behest of the Catholicos of Georgia Melkizedek, a magnificent temple was built in its place under the leadership of the architect Arsukidze, which we can admire now.

There is another legend, confirmation of which can be seen on the wall of the temple. This is a relief of a hand holding a square. The inscription reads: "The hand of God's servant Arsukidze. Remember." According to legend, the great architect's teacher was jealous of his student's success and slandered him, for which his right hand was cut off. According to the second legend, the hand was cut off at the behest of the king so that the architect could no longer build the same magnificent temple. This is described in the book of the Georgian classic Konstantine Gamsakhurdia “The Right Hand of the Great Master”.

The life-giving pillar is located in the center of the modern temple; a stone canopy is built above it, which is painted with frescoes.

The frescoes illustrate the history of the Robe of the Lord and the Pillar itself.

Another interesting detail in the painting of the arch around the Life-Giving Pillar is the image of “flying saucers” UFOs with a “face in the porthole”, widely known in ufology circles.

There is so much mystical and mysterious in the temple; there is a fresco that depicts an astrological wheel, which is not at all compatible with Christianity.

Georgian kings are buried in front of the altar, including Vakhtang Gorgasali, Irakli II, George 12.

In the southern part of the complex there is a small stone temple, which is a copy of the Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. It was built at the beginning of the 14th century to mark the fact that the Svetitskhoveli Temple is the second place in the world where the clothes of Christ lie.

In addition to the tunic, the Robe of the Lord was also kept in the cathedral and in the treasury. Now she is in Russia. Here's information about it:
Shah of Persia , at the insistence of the Russian ambassador, sent a chasuble to to the king . In the attached letter, the Shah announced that, having conquered Georgia, he had found a robe in the metropolitan's sacristy, hidden in a cross.
Patriarch collected reliable information about her, after which she was solemnly placed in a magnificent ark, in the Moscow , and the annual holiday of the Placing of the Robe of the Lord was established, July 10 (to ), the service for which is compiled , (The position of the honorable robe of our Lord Jesus Christ in Moscow).
Part of the Riza was kept in the Kiev , two parts - in St. Petersburg (one - in the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands, located in , the other - in the cathedral church ). In the West there is a legend that the Robe of the Lord was originally found by the queen in Palestine, transferred to and in 328 it was placed in . This legend appears only in 1196, and the popular veneration of the robe was established in 1512. Perhaps we are talking about different parts of Riza.
In 2002, one of the parts of the chasuble was found in research fellow Elena Burdakova. In 2004 it was transferred and placed for worship in . Since December 1, 2007 it has been in .
Behind this door was the treasury. There is a holy spring here.

The temple preserves the stone fonts in which the Georgian Kings were baptized.

The large figure of Christ at the altar was painted by a Russian artist in the 19th century.

The temple has many secret windows, rooms and passages where tourists are not allowed, but I would really like to visit them. For me this is no less interesting!

On the outer walls of the temple, stucco decorations and bas-reliefs in the form of vines have been preserved, which can be seen in many temples in Georgia. There is a bas-relief in the form of bull heads, they date back to the time of Vakhtang Gorgasali, the founder of Tbilisi.

Now let’s just admire the views of the temple, courtyard, bell tower and fortress wall.