St. George's Armenian Apostolic Church, Tbilisi
Encyclopedia
The Cathedral of Saint George is a 13th century Armenian church in Old Tbilisi
, Georgia
and is the seat of the Armenian archbishop. It is dedicated to Saint George
(Surb Gevorg in Armenian
).
fortress. In front of the church is the tomb of the famous Armenian
poet Sayat Nova.
The first recorded account about the church on this site dates to the first half of the 18th century. It was later garrisoned by the Persian troops, but restored to local Armenian community by King Heraclius II of Georgia in the 1770s. Currently, the cathedral is a seat of the archbishop of Armenians of Tbilisi.
By initiative of the archbishop Comitas Ter-Stepanian, that was leader of the church 1957-1972, in 1957 the burials of four Armenian generals were transferred from the yard of the Vank Church to the St. George's Armenian Apostolic Church : Mikhail Tarielovich Loris-Melikov
, Arshak Ter-Gukasov
, Hovaness Lazarev and Beybut Shelkovnikov
.
). Like most of the churches in Tiflis, it is built in brick.
Old Tbilisi
Old Tbilisi is an administrative district in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia. Although the term "Old Tbilisi" has long been used to denote a historical part of the city, it was only in 2007 that it became a distinct administrative entity to incorporate several historical neighborhoods formerly...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and is the seat of the Armenian archbishop. It is dedicated to Saint George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
(Surb Gevorg in Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
).
Location
It is located in the south-western corner of Vakhtang Gorgasali Square (Meidani) and is overlooked by the ruins of NarikalaNarikala
Narikala is an ancient fortress overlooking Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, and the Kura River. The fortress consists of two walled sections on a steep hill between the sulphur baths and the botanical gardens of Tbilisi. On the lower court there is the recently restored St Nicholas church.The...
fortress. In front of the church is the tomb of the famous Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
poet Sayat Nova.
History
The cathedral was commissioned in 1251 by a wealthy merchant named Umek of Karin (Erzerum) who settled in Tiflis in the 13th century, and married Princess Mama Vahtangian, the daughter of Hasan Jalal Vahtangian, Grand Prince of Khachen (ruled 1214-1261). An inscription dates the building to 1251, and it was thoroughly restored in the 17th century, and then again in 1832 and 1881.The first recorded account about the church on this site dates to the first half of the 18th century. It was later garrisoned by the Persian troops, but restored to local Armenian community by King Heraclius II of Georgia in the 1770s. Currently, the cathedral is a seat of the archbishop of Armenians of Tbilisi.
By initiative of the archbishop Comitas Ter-Stepanian, that was leader of the church 1957-1972, in 1957 the burials of four Armenian generals were transferred from the yard of the Vank Church to the St. George's Armenian Apostolic Church : Mikhail Tarielovich Loris-Melikov
Mikhail Tarielovich Loris-Melikov
Count Mikhail Tarielovich Loris-Melikov was a Russian-Armenian statesman, General of the Cavalry, and Adjutant General of H. I. M. Retinue....
, Arshak Ter-Gukasov
Ter-Gukasov
Arshak Ter-Gukasov was the Yerevan Forces commander of Russia's army during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878....
, Hovaness Lazarev and Beybut Shelkovnikov
Beybut Shelkovnikov
Shelkovnikov Beybut Martirosovich , was a Russian general of the imperial army.A descendant of an old Armenian noble house he was born in Nukhi . He participated in the Crimean War. In 1865 in the Northern Caucasus, and in 1876 he was appointed as the commander of the Black Sea region...
.
Architecture
The cathedral is built on a traditional plan of a partitioned, open cross with a rectangular perimeter (like Saint Gevorg of MughniSaint Gevorg of Mughni Church, Tbilisi
The Saint Gevorg of Mughni Church also known as Saint George of Mughni Church is a 13th century Armenian church in Tbilisi, Georgia that was entirely rebuilt in 1756...
). Like most of the churches in Tiflis, it is built in brick.