Bagrati Cathedral

Coordinates: 42°16′38″N 42°42′15″E / 42.2773°N 42.7043°E / 42.2773; 42.7043
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Bagrati Cathedral
ბაგრატის ტაძარი
Georgian
Completed11th century
Dome(s)1, rebuilt
Former 
Europe and North America
Official name: Bagrati Cathedral
DesignatedNovember 7, 2006; 17 years ago (2006-11-07)
Reference no.591
Item Number in Cultural Heritage Portal9897
Date of entry in the registryOctober 3, 2007; 16 years ago (2007-10-03)

The Cathedral of the

Dormition, or the Kutaisi Cathedral, more commonly known as Bagrati Cathedral (Georgian: ბაგრატი; ბაგრატის ტაძარი, or Bagratis tadzari), is an 11th-century cathedral in the city of Kutaisi, in the Imereti region of Georgia. A masterpiece of medieval Georgian architecture, the cathedral suffered heavy damage throughout centuries and was reconstructed to its present state through a gradual process starting in the 1950s, with controversial conservation works concluding in 2012. These works prompted UNESCO temporarily to include the cathedral on its list of endangered World Heritage Sites. A distinct landmark in the scenery of central Kutaisi, the cathedral rests on the Ukimerioni Hill. It is considered one of the four Great Cathedrals
of the Georgian Orthodox world.

History

Bagrati Cathedral was built in the early years of the 11th century, during the reign of King

Ottoman troops who had invaded the Kingdom of Imereti
. The incident caused the cupola and ceiling to collapse.

William Lethaby called it "the finest of Georgian monuments".[1]

Conservation and restoration works, as well as archaeological studies at the cathedral began in the 1950s under the leadership of a Georgian architect Vakhtang Tsintsadze. The restoration works headed by Tsintsadze were divided into six stages and continued for several decades through 1994.[2] That same year in 1994 Bagrati Cathedral, together with the Gelati Monastery, was included in UNESCO's World Heritage Site list as a single entity. In 2001, ownership of the cathedral was transferred from the Georgian state to the Georgian Orthodox Church. Officially, the cathedral is dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God and holds its main feast day on Mariamoba. It is currently the cathedral seat of the Metropolitan of Kutaisi. There are regular religious services. There is a monastery on the grounds, and the hieromonks serve as cathedral clergy. It is a very popular location for weddings among the locals. It is also frequently used as a symbol of the city of Kutaisi, being one of its main tourist attractions.

Present state and conservation issues

Pre-restoration eastern wall of the Bagrati Cathedral seen in 2005 with its ceiling still collapsed

In July 2010

ICOMOS was concerned about the deteriorating state of Bagrati, but it commended that any conservation efforts by the Government should not include a type of reconstruction which would affect the site's historical value.[4] In 2011 UNESCO urged the Georgian government authorities to develop a rehabilitation strategy that would reverse some of the changes made to the site in recent years, but it acknowledged that these alterations may be "almost irreversible".[5] In 2013, architect Andrea Bruno was awarded a Georgian state gold medal for his role in the Bagrati Cathedral reconstruction and was subsequently recognized for this project with the University of Ferrara Domus International Prize for Restoration and Conservation.[6][7] UNESCO removed Bagrati Cathedral from its list of endangered World Heritage sites in 2017, considering that the risks of its major reconstruction to its integrity and authenticity had been successfully managed.[8]

Burials

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bagrati Cathedral.

References

  1. Duckworth. p. 78
    . Another beautifully built stone church is the ruined cathedral of Koutais, the finest of Georgian monuments, built c. 1003 ; the facade has tall recessed pointed arches.
  2. ^ Bagrati Cathedral - Copy or Original, Tabula, 4 September 2012
  3. ^ World Heritage Committee inscribes Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery (Georgia) on List of World Heritage in Danger https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/637
  4. ^ UNESCO Report on the Mission to Historical Monuments of Mtskheta and Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery, Georgia, June 2–10, 2008.
  5. ^ [1] Decision - 35COM 7A.29 - Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery (Georgia) (C 710), Paris, 7 July 2011
  6. ^ ბაგრატის პროექტის არქიტექტორი დააჯილდოვეს[permanent dead link], Rustavi 2, 23 March 2013
  7. ^ Domus International Prize for Restoration and Conservation, ArchDaily, 12 October 2015
  8. ^ UNESCO World Heritage Centre (10 July 2017). "Gelati Monastery, Georgia, removed from UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger". unesco. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
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