Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral

Coordinates: 41°41′29″N 44°48′27″E / 41.6914°N 44.8075°E / 41.6914; 44.8075
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Cathedral of Saint Mary of Zion
სიონის ღვთისმშობლის მიძინების ტაძარი
Sioni Cathedral in september 2023
Religion
AffiliationGeorgian Orthodox Church
Location
Location4 Sioni Street, Tbilisi, Georgia
Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral is located in Tbilisi
Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral
Shown within Tbilisi
Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral is located in Georgia
Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral
Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral (Georgia)
Geographic coordinates41°41′29″N 44°48′27″E / 41.6914°N 44.8075°E / 41.6914; 44.8075
Architecture
TypeChurch
CompletedChurch: 6th–7th century,
renovated 13th century and
17th–18th century.
Belfry: 1812
Dome(s)1
Official name: Sioni Cathedral
DesignatedOctober 1, 2007; 16 years ago (2007-10-01)
Reference no.4877
Item Number in Cultural Heritage Portal3433
Date of entry
in the registry		October 11, 2007; 16 years ago (2007-10-11)
Accounting Card / Passport #010404386

The Sioni Cathedral of the Dormition (

Georgian Orthodox cathedral in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Following a medieval Georgian tradition of naming churches after particular places in the Holy Land, the Sioni Cathedral bears the name of Mount Zion at Jerusalem
. It is commonly known as the "Tbilisi Sioni" to distinguish it from several other churches across Georgia bearing the name Sioni.

The Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral is situated in historic Sionis Kucha (Sioni Street) in downtown Tbilisi, with its eastern façade fronting the right embankment of the

Holy Trinity Cathedral
was consecrated in 2004.

History

Kura River
, 1870s

According to medieval Georgian annals, the construction of the original church on this site was initiated by King

Adarnase in circa 639. According to legend, both princes were buried in this church, but no trace of their graves has been found. This early church was completely destroyed by Arabs
, and was subsequently built de novo.

The cathedral was completely rebuilt by King

Mingburnu. It was subsequently repaired, but damaged again by Timur in 1386 and repaired by King Alexander I
. It was again damaged during the Persian invasions in 1522 and in the 17th century.

19th-century sectional drawing showing Grigory Gagarin's frescoes

In 1657, the

Vakhtang
, carried out restorations of the cupola and stone plates of the cathedral walls in 1710, as it is carved on the northern wall. Thus, the current tufa facing of the church comes from that period. However, the church was again damaged by the invasion of the Persians in 1795.

The cathedral's interior took on a different look between 1850 and 1860, when the Russian artist and general Knyaz Grigory Gagarin (1810–1893) composed an interesting series of the murals, though a number of medieval frescoes were lost[clarification needed] in the process. A portion of the murals on the western wall were executed by the Georgian artist Levan Tsutskiridze in the 1980s.

The stone

Vakhtang III gave the reliquary
itself in the early 14th century.

The Sioni Cathedral was where the Russian Imperial manifesto on the annexation of Georgia was first published. On April 12, 1802, the Russian commander-in-chief in Georgia, General Karl von Knorring, assembled the Georgian nobles in the cathedral, which was then surrounded by Russian troops. The nobles were forced to take an oath to the Russian Imperial crown; any who disagreed were taken into custody.[1][2][3]

Sioni Cathedral remained functional through Soviet times, and was partially renovated between 1980 and 1983.

Architecture

Eastern facade of the church with three faceted apsids

The Sioni Cathedral is a typical example of medieval Georgian

bas-relief
carvings of a cross and a chained lion on the western side and an angel and saints on the north. All sixteen windows have carved ornamental frames. Shallow carvings indicate late decoration.

Tholobate of the church with decorations. Southeastern view

Bell towers

Tbilisi Sioni Old Bell Tower
თბილისის სიონის ძველი სამრეკლო
Stone
Official nameSioni Bell Tower
DesignatedOctober 1, 2007; 16 years ago (2007-10-01)
Reference no.4876
Item Number in Cultural Heritage Portal3447
Date of entry
in the registry		October 11, 2007; 16 years ago (2007-10-11)
Accounting Card / Passport #010404385
Tbilisi Sioni New Bell Tower
თბილისის სიონის ახალი სამრეკლო
General information
TypeBell tower
Architectural styleNeoclassical architecture
Completed1812; 212 years ago (1812)
Technical details
MaterialBrick
Official nameSioni Bell Tower(New)
DesignatedOctober 1, 2007; 16 years ago (2007-10-01)
Reference no.4878
Item Number in Cultural Heritage Portal3864
Date of entry
in the registry		October 11, 2007; 16 years ago (2007-10-11)
Accounting Card / Passport #010404387

North of the cathedral, within the courtyard, is a freestanding three-story bell tower dating from the 1425 reconstruction by King Alexander I. Largely destroyed by the Persian shah Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar in 1795, it was restored to its present condition in 1939.

Across the street stands another three-story bell tower; one of the earliest example of Russian

his conquest of Ganja for the Russian Empire.[5]

View of the ceiling

The murals, painted by G. Gagarin, and iconostasis, also designed by him in 1950s-60s, differed from traditional Georgian tradition.

Burials

The Sioni Cathedral serves as a burial ground for several notable churchmen, including the 20th-century Catholicoi-Patriarchs of Georgia, and economic and political figure Giorgi Maisashvili:

References

  1. ISBN 1-4021-8908-7
    , p. 220 (Replica of 1814 edition by Henry Colburn, London)
  2. ^ Villari, L. (1906), Fire and Sword in the Caucasus, T. F. Unwin, London, p. 32 (Online version [1])
  3. ^ Lang, DM. (1957), The Last Years of the Georgian Monarchy: 1658–1832, New York City: Columbia University Press, p. 247
  4. ^ Джанберидзе Н., Мачабели К. (1981) Тбилиси. Мцхета. Москва: Искусство, 255 c.
  5. ^ Утверждение Русскаго владычество на кавказе, Время Кнорринга, Цицианова и Гудовича. 1801–1809 гг, A. I Liberman: 1901. Volume 1
  • Rosen, Roger. Georgia: A Sovereign Country of the Caucasus. Odyssey Publications: Hong Kong, 1999.
    ISBN 962-217-748-4

External links

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